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The Silent Hill 2 gallows puzzle involves series of poems regarding the judgement of criminals and pulling an execution lever in the prison yard.
It comes immediately after you solve the Silent Hill 2 Remake Prison weights and scales puzzle to actually gain the lever itself. It's a strange and somewhat unclear puzzle that can feel like it doesn't have a clear answer as you decide which of six criminals deserves to hang. I'll explain how this works, the solutions to the poems, and the right choice for the noose below.
How to solve the gallows and poem puzzle in Silent Hill 2 Remake
The prison yard gallows puzzle in Silent Hill 2 is solved through the following process:
- Take the execution lever earned through the scales puzzle in the yard and place it in the mechanism between the gallows.
- This will reveal six uncompleted poems about criminals, as well as a plaque telling you to judge one of them.
- The second halves of the poems are lying on the floor - you have to correctly match them with the poem halves above.
- Once all the poems are correctly assigned, you have to pick one of the nooses on the gallows that corroborates with the poem to "judge" that wrongdoer.
- If you pick correctly, you'll be moved to the next area. If you fail, you'll have to fight some enemies before trying again.
The issue with this puzzle is that the poems aren't always necessarily logical making it more about general theming than anything concrete you can deduce with formula or mathematics, like the Silent Hill 2 Remake hospital padlock code you did before.
How to match the poems for the gallows in Silent Hill 2
All the poems and the right halves to match with them are shown below. The second halves of each poem have two potential correct choices however, and which ones appear is randomised in any given playthrough. For example, the first poem always concerns an arsonist who burns an orphanage, but there's two potential conclusions, and it's 50/50 which of the two you'll have. Fortunately, I have both answers listed below, so no matter what your options, you can get it right.
Poem Number | First Half Starts: | Possible Match 1 | Possible Match 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | "For your grace I do not plead…" (Arsonist) | "Though the young ones' deaths I mourn…" | "I watched them burn…" |
2 | "The wealth of others I did take…" (Thief) | "The reason, if I have to say…" | "What were those reasons, you might ask…" |
3 | "I took the child, you are quite right…" (Abductor father) | "My only daughter, joy of days…" | "Forgive me child, for I have failed…" |
4 | "Once the sun has ceased its reign…" (Cat burglar) | "I departed with great haste…" | "So, my guilt is plain to see…" |
5 | "Mommy dearest, mommy sweet…" (Matricide) | "You were, oh, so kind to me…" | "You broke my legs, I couldn't walk…" |
6 | "I waited long, I bid my time…" (Murderer) | "In truth, I did not hesitate…" | "In truth, he was less man than beast…" |
Which noose to choose and who to judge explained
Once all the poems are done it's time to choose who to judge. There are six numbered nooses, each of which corroborates to one of the the six poems. For me, poem number 1 (the orphanage arsonist), was an acceptable answer, though this might have changed if the ending to my poem had been different and framed things more favourably.
You need to pick a bad person to get it right, so the context of the poem's second half matters. If it frames the crime in a reasonable light, you shouldn't pick them. So, for example, killing somebody out of malice is an option to chose, but if it's out of self-defense it isn't.
Get it wrong and you'll be dropped down through a trapdoor to be attacked by monsters until you can fight your out. Get it right, and you'll be transported to a new area. Solving this puzzle means you will leave the prison so this is your last chance to explore - make sure you've got all the collectibles and the rifle (arguably the best of the Silent Hill 2 Remake weapons) before you leave.
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