Endings in Silent Hill 2: Remake can be opened by following a certain set of recommendations, which are aimed at interacting with specific plot characters and objects. The game provides for several developments of events: there are three classic endings, three additional ones and two unique to the remake version of the title.
From the guide you will learn how to get all the endings in Silent Hill 2: Remake. We will analyze the main actions that must be taken to unlock this or that ending. We will outline the consequences of secret ones, as well as the good ending, which is canonical for the age of the main story campaign.
Please note that the following contains spoilers that reveal plot details.
How Many Endings in Silent Hill 2: Remake
In total in the remake eight endings: 3 of them are classic, 3 are additional, and 2 are unique to the Remake. Obtaining some of them is accompanied by a corresponding achievement:
- Trophy "Reconciliation" [Making Peace] - see the ending "Farewell";
- trophy "Vicious Circle" [Vicious Circle] - see the ending of "Maria";
- trophy "There is only one way out" [Only Way Out] - see the ending of "In the Water";
- Trophy "Trample Death Itself" [Defy Even Death] - see the ending of "Rebirth";
- Good Boy Trophy [The Goodest Boy] - see the ending of "Dog";
- trophy "Tinfoil Hat" [Tinfoil Hat] - see the ending of "UFO";
In addition, there is a special legendary achievement "My 2001" [Party Like It's 2001], which is awarded if you can see all the classic endings, which include: "Farewell", "Maria", "In the Water", "Rebirth" and "Dog".
How to Unlock All Endings in Silent Hill 2: Remake
Some of the listed developments can be obtained both as part of the regular game and in the process of exploring the "New Game+" mode. The second half, in turn, is only available for "New Game+":
| Regular game and New Game+ | New Game+ only |
| Finale "Farewell" | The finale of "Rebirth" |
| Finale "Maria" | The Dog Finale |
| Finale "In the Water" | The Finale of "UFO" |
| Finale "Silence" | |
| Finale "Bliss" |
The difficulty is that cutscenes with special type of outcomes (New Game+ only) can only be obtained when performing specific actions. In the points below, we will consider all the endings of the Silent Hill 2 remake: we will present a list of recommended and undesirable actions, and also briefly outline the main features of this or that ending.
Ending Farewell [Good and canon]
The final "Parting" otherwise it can be called the canonical ending of Silent Hill 2: Remake. During the cutscene tied to it, James, having accepted his own past and the consequences of the hardest decisions in the present, leaves Silent Hill together with Laura.
| Recommended Actions | Unwanted actions |
| Maintain your health at a high level. | It is not recommended to spend a lot of time with Maria, including visiting her in Brookhaven Hospital and the Labyrinth Chamber. |
| Interact with Mary's photo and letter from her as often as possible. The minimum number of interactions per playthrough is 3. | Angela's knife cannot be inspected. The maximum number of interactions allowed via "Inventory" per playthrough is 1. |
| Listen to Mary's entire monologue at the Lakeview Hotel (the scene before meeting the final opponent). | |
| Ignore Maria's advances. | |
| Select the Snake Coin in the cabinet puzzle in Woodside. |
Ending explained: Mary personally hands James an envelope, indicating: "This is what you were looking for". The phrases spoken in Shepherd-Sunderland's voice are a confession with a desperate understanding that these are her last words before death. The woman talks about the pain she had to endure for a long time, her own regrets, as well as her sincere attempts to understand her husband. Despite the hardships, she continued and continues to love her husband. It is important to her that the man does not lose hope, and also stops living with an all-consuming sense of guilt.
The final cutscene shows Sunderland leaving the city with Laura, presumably to face the consequences of his past. His goal now is to seek redemption and a new beginning. The man has accepted his own self for what it has become, so he can try to find the strength to forgive, and then find peace and relative happiness.
Video:
Ending Maria [bad]
The final "Maria" can be called the bad ending of Silent Hill 2: Remake, in which James escapes from his own past and the consequences of the hardest decisions he made in the present.
| Recommended Actions | Unwanted actions |
| Maintain your health at a high level. | You can't interact with Mary's photo or the letter from her. The maximum number of interactions allowed through the "Inventory" per playthrough is 1/2. |
| Always fulfill Maria's wishes. | Angela's knife cannot be inspected. The maximum number of interactions allowed via "Inventory" is 1. |
| Maximize your time with Maria as you explore the city, including visiting her in Brookhaven Hospital and the Labyrinth Chamber whenever possible. | You can't listen to Mary's monologue at the Lakeview Hotel (the scene before meeting the final opponent). |
| Select the Girl's coin in the Woodside Locker Puzzle. |
Ending explained: Similar to the ending of "Farewell", James leaves Silent Hill, but this time his companion is not Laura, but Maria. The man runs away from the burden of guilt instead of facing the demons that are eating him from the inside. In doing so, he personally condemns his own future to repeating the story he has already gone through. Two details indicate this:
- James does not read the letter written by Mary's hand, but immediately hides it in the inside pocket of his jacket - he avoids his wife's revelations, he is not able to face them and, accordingly, accept them;
- Maria's cough, which refers to the first symptoms of the disease that killed the protagonist's wife.
Video:
Ending In the Water [ambiguous]
The final "In the water" can't be considered either a good or a bad ending: it is tragic in its execution and partly refers to "The Farewell", which is the canonical end of the story. However, it has a more negative imprint within the framework of the manifestation of James's last will.
| Recommended Actions | Unwanted actions |
| Interact with Angela's knife as often as possible. The minimum number of interactions per playthrough is 3. | You can't interact with Mary's photo or the letter from her. The maximum number of interactions allowed through the "Inventory" per playthrough is 1/2. |
| Keep your health low (red tapering indicator at the edges of the screen). | It is not recommended to spend a lot of time with Maria, including visiting her in Brookhaven Hospital and the Labyrinth Chamber. |
| Listen to Mary's entire monologue at the Lakeview Hotel (the scene before meeting the final opponent). | |
| Select the Man's coin in the locker puzzle in Woodside. |
Ending explained: the protagonist realizes that his life is meaningless without Mary, and decides that the best thing he can do is his beloved wife in the afterlife. The man has accepted his past and realized the burden of guilt that weighs on his shoulders, but he cannot find the strength to continue living without the woman who has been by his side for many years. The lovers were connected by ups and downs, the past and thoughts about the future, and the afterlife is the only place where they can be together forever:
"I know you wouldn't want this, but I guess it doesn't matter anymore. You're... you're not here."
Video:
Secret Endings in Silent Hill 2: Remake
As mentioned earlier, the following endings are available to obtain exclusively within the framework of ing the mode "New game +".
Ending Rebirth
"Rebirth" — one of the secret endings, in which James remains faithful to his wife: it seems that the man is ready to do a lot, just to reunite with his beloved.
| Recommended Actions | Unwanted actions |
| Start a "new game+". | You cannot enter room 312 at the Lakeview Hotel until you have obtained all the ritual items. |
| Collect all ritual items, then complete the game in normal mode. |
Location of all necessary ritual items:
- The first ritual item, the book "Bloody Ceremony", can be found in the cemetery, next to the grave.
- The second ritual item lies on the table located on the porch of the mansion.
- The third ritual object, an obsidian cup, is located in the exhibition hall in a secret compartment next to a painting depicting the pyramids.
- The fourth ritual item, the Book of Lost Memories, can be found in the Lakeview Hotel, in a secret area accessible after breaking down the wall in the Toluca Cafe.
Ending explained: After James kills Maria in the form of Mary, he decides to take a risky step - to use the powers of the gods of Silent Hill to resurrect his beloved wife. The scene begins with the main character floating on a lake through the fog, towards the island. Opposite him lies the body of his wife, wrapped in a white cloth, and nearby are the objects necessary for the ritual.
The outcome - whether Sunderland will resurrect his wife, whether the lovers will be cursed by dark forces, or nothing will happen - is a mystery close to an "open ending".
Video:
Ending Dog
"Dog" - the ending, presented in a humorous manner, which was probably added to evoke a number of positive emotions in players and thus relax them after intense adventures through a city filled with horror elements.
| Recommended Actions | Unwanted actions |
| Start a "new game+". | You are not allowed to enter room 312 at the Lakeview Hotel. |
| Collect all the parts of the key - the paw and the bone. Then combine the found objects through the "Inventory" to get the key. | |
| Unlock the Observation Room in the Lakeview Hotel instead of Room 312. |
Location of all parts of the key:
- Paw can be found at The Pet Center, which is located next to Big Jay's.
- Bone is located in the Katz Street area. To get the item, head towards the backyard of the first house, interact with the gate on the side, and examine the doghouse.
Entrance to the viewing room at the Lakeview Hotel:
Ending explained: James enters the surveillance room and encounters a dog sitting at the control . In an attempt to establish communication with the animal, the man falls to his knees, thereby realizing that everything within the city is controlled by a furry creature.
Video:
UFO ending
"UFO" — another humorous ending, done in the spirit of "silent" films. It is an Easter egg, as it continues the tradition with a series of endings in the spirit of "UFO" from previous parts of the franchise.
| Recommended Actions | Unwanted actions |
| Start a "new game+". | — |
| Find the blue gem. | |
| Interact with the blue gem in four different locations. |
The location of the blue gem is the jewelry store located near Big J's. Break the window to collect the desired item.
Areas where you need to interact with the blue gem:
- First place - on the roof of the Saul Street Apartment Complex.
- Second place - on the waterfront of Rosewater Park.
- Third place - at the Lakeview Hotel dock.
- Fourth place - in room 312 of the Lakeview Hotel.
Ending explained: an unidentified flying object descends towards James, and an alien emerges from it in the form of the main character's old model. The creature its that the Sunderland standing before him is just a clone, and that the space variation is the original. The alien then shoots the man and takes his lifeless body with him.
Video:
Ending Silence [new]
"Silence" — one of the additional endings that is unique to the remake. To obtain it, it is extremely important to reach the ending "In the Water" during the main story campaign, and then continue exploring the city in the "new game +" mode.
| Recommended Actions | Unwanted actions |
| Unlock the "In the Water" ending. | — |
| Start a "new game+". | |
| Find the key of sorrow. | |
| Find the manager's office in the Lakeview Hotel and interact with the safe using the key and combination: right – 3, left – 1, right – 4. | |
| Take all the items stored in the safe, then complete the game in normal mode. |
Location of the Key of Sorrow:
Safe at the Lakeview Hotel, in the manager's office (code: 314):
Ending explained: the finale in question can be called an alternative ending to "In the Water". James, sitting in the car, mourns the loss of his wife and sincerely wishes to reunite with her in the afterlife. However, before he decides to commit suicide, Mary appears in the back seat of the vehicle. The woman begins to console her beloved, before disappearing, she leaves an envelope through which she shares personal experiences, thoughts and emotions.
The Silence ending mirrors the beginning of the story campaign and focuses on the Shepherd-Sunderland letter. It can be assumed that within this ending, James realizes that his fate in Silent Hill is doomed to be cyclical, since he cannot get rid of the feeling of guilt. This thought ultimately pushes the hero to drive into the lake.
Video:
Ending Bliss [new]
"Bliss" — the last of the additional endings that are unique to the remake.
| Recommended Actions | Unwanted actions |
| Start a "new game+". | — |
| Find the rusty key by unlocking the safe with the combination 1887. | |
| Find the chest in the Brookhaven Hospital garden to get a bottle of White Claudia. | |
| In the Lakeview Hotel, before interacting with the TV in room 312, drink White Claudia. |
Location of items needed for the ending:
- First of all, visit Pete's Bowling Club and find the safe, then enter the combination 1887 and take the rusty key as a reward.
- Secondly, examine the gazebo in the garden of Brookhaven Hospital: open the chest with the key and get "White Claudia".
Ending explained: in the finale in question, James saw footage of his holiday with his wife on TV, rather than the details that reveal the truth about her death. This outcome is caused by "White Claudia," known in the city as a powerful hallucinogen. The drug distorts the truth - which in turn leads to Sunderland never knowing that he killed Mary with his own hands. As the saying goes, "ignorance is bliss".
Video:
We hope our guide helped you learn how to unlock all endings in Silent Hill 2: Remake. Write to comments, if you encounter difficulties, the author or players will try to help. From a separate article you can learn about all codes for safes, locks and doors in Silent Hill 2: Remake.
