Replayability in games comes in all shapes and sizes. For the silent Hill series, Konami likes to add a lot of endings to their games. Silent Hill 2for example, it has six endings in the original game which Bloober Team retained in the remake albeit slightly changed. They also added two new endings for players to enjoy.
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Getting to these endings requires many steps to jump through, and basic information will be highlighted. However, this is not a guide as this list will instead look at the effectiveness of all eight endings in the remake of Silent Hill 2. Obviously there will be spoilers.
7 UFO
Was James a clone?
- Direct Requirements: New Game+, find the blue gem and listen to its sounds to lead you to the ending for several steps
UFO endings have become traditional in the Silent Hill series and are usually poorly done on purpose. In this ending, James summons a UFO with a stone, and then things turn into a green silent film with frozen frames. James sees another version of himself step off the spaceship who addresses himself as Space James and the real James in general. Earth James has always been a clone, and now Space James, along with a stereotypical alien creature, invites James back into space. It's definitely weird and not unentertaining, but it's one of those things that would have been nice to see improved for this remake.
6 Quiet
- Direct Requirements: New Game+, Chainsaw and Pain Key are required to start the mission inside the Lakeview Hotel that will lead to this ending
Stillness is the name of this ending and it's quite simple and terrifying at the same time. James is sitting in his car in the same rest area where the players will begin the game. He is talking to Mary who then begins to respond. Then her hands appear in the frame and in the ending you can see more pieces of Maria but her face is hidden everywhere. Novice players probably expect a scare to happen at this point, but nothing nefarious ever happens. James is just disappointed, he talks to his wife in the car and then that's it.
5 In the water
Listen to Mary's letter in its entirety
- Some requirements: take a lot of damage, check key items like Mary's letter, read notes, and ignore Mary
In Water is similar to Stillness but players may be happier with this resolution. It should be called Acceptance because the ending starts with James talking to Mary in his car but then admitting that she's not there. He questions it, looking at the back of his car again, setting the players up for a scare.
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However it doesn't happen anymore and when the rain starts to pour, things turn black and then the lake is shown as a letter blissfully slides along a beam of light. Mary reads her own letter, revealing that James knew all along that she was dead. It's a bittersweet ending but still beautiful in its simplicity.
4 Bliss
Home movies with a sense of dread
- Direct Requirements: New Game+, get the Rusty Key and Cryptic Note, follow the directions, drink the White Claudia and watch the tape in James' room
Bliss can be interpreted in different ways. It begins with James walking into a room and inserting a cassette tape into a VCR. This dates the game significantly back to the late 1990s or early 2000s. Mary is watched filming as they are about to return home. As things are wrapping up, James gives the camera a strange look, dismissing Mary's concerns that something is wrong. The tape stops and then things move to the room where James disappeared. Perhaps it is implied that James never left the house after picking up Mary and that it was all a ruse. Or maybe that smile he gives the camera is James' admission that he will kill Mary once they get home. It's hard to say.
3 Dog
Oh, he's always been a dog
- Direct Requirements: New Game+, find parts to craft the dog key, open the observation room in the Lakeview Hotel
The Dog ending is just as silly as the UFO ending. However, because there was effort put into the production, it's a fantastic ending. James will enter a control room and ask the person in the chair to reveal himself. When they do, it turns out that a dog was controlling Silent Hill all along. James falls to his knees, unsure how to continue. Instead of being mischievous, the dog approaches James and licks him and then that's it. I wait. Silent Hill 2 is one of the most oppressive and atmospheric horror games ever released. Players deserve some levity with this bizarre ending.
2 Mary
Sacrificing one love for another
- Some requirements: Check key items like Mary's Letter, listen to Mary, and protect Mary
Maria is kind of a positive ending depending on how the players see it. It begins with James facing a physical manifestation of Mary who is bitter at him for letting her die. It then transforms into a monster, a boss battle ensues, and then players must finish it one last time. Thanks to her death, James can go back and save Maria.
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Now he has let Mary go and is willing to move on with a new girlfriend. On the way back to the car, Maria starts coughing and James tells her she should take a look at it. Could Mary have contracted a virus that ultimately led to Mary's illness? There's a lot to unpack here, but it betrays James a little to get back with Maria, even if it's good that he mentally lets go of Mary.
1 Rebirth
Summon the Elder Gods
- Direct Requirements: New Game+, items such as the Crimson Ceremony Book, White Chrism, Obsidian Chalice, and Book of Lost Memories are required and must be played on Normal difficulty
The rebirth begins with a similar scene to Maria, but there is a twist. James tells this “Mary” that he knows she is Mary. She was trying to get him to be unfaithful or to sell his soul in some way. Maria admits this and then begins the same boss battle. Afterwards, James rows out into the middle of the lake, talking to Mary about the old gods and the ability to bring her back. It could be inferred that James killed Mary, brought her body to the boat, and then planned to sacrifice her to some ancient gods to bring Mary back to life. It's a little convoluted on James' part since he still hasn't gotten rid of the idea of Mary, but it's interesting to see him rowing through the darkness.
Start
Is this the real canon ending?
- Some requirements: don't look at key items like Mary's letter, don't read a lot of notes unrelated to the puzzles, heal often, and ignore Mary when you can
Leave is an ending that brings all the pieces together. James deals with Mary's death in two brutal ways. First, through a series of boss fights, and second, by seeing Mary in a state of nausea. It also ties things back to Laura, the little girl, whose story is left hanging if players don't get this ending.
All in all, this is what many consider the true ending. It's not a happy ending by any means, it will be cathartic for players to experience. Since the game was built in a vacuum, though, there will never be an actual “true” ending unless Konami or Bloober Team can do the Square Enix thing by creating Silent Hill 2-2.