The Silent Hill 2 Remake gallows puzzle and execution lever in the prison yard involves a series of poems regarding the judgement of criminals. Occurring immediately after you solve the Silent Hill 2 Remake Prison weights and scales puzzle to gain the lever itself, what follows is a strange and somewhat malleable puzzle that can often feel like it doesn't have a clear answer, as you decide which of six criminals deserves the noose. We'll explain how this system works, the solutions to the poems and the right choice for the noose in our guide to Silent Hill 2 Remake's gallows puzzle below.
How to solve the gallows and poem puzzle in Silent Hill 2 Remake
The gallows in the prison yard in Silent Hill 2 Remake are 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 - this puzzle is more about general theming than anything you can deduce with formula or mathematics like the Silent Hill 2 Remake hospital padlock code you did before.
How to match the poems in the prison yard gallows in Silent Hill 2
We've got all the poems and the right halves to match with them below, though keep in mind that the second halves of each poem have two potential correct choices, and which one is in the pool of answers is random playthrough-to-playthrough. For example, the first poem always concerns an arsonist who burns an orphanage, but there's two potential conclusions - and which of the two you'll have in the pool of answers is random. Fortunately, we have both answers listed below, so no matter what your answers, 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
After this, it's time to choose who to judge - effectively who you condemn for their crimes. There are six nooses, numbered - each one of which corroborates to the six poems as outlined above. 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.
It seems at the moment that 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 (for example, killing somebody out of malice means you should choose them, but if it's out of self-defense, you shouldn't).
Get it wrong, and you'll be dropped down through a trapdoor to be attacked by monsters, until you can fight your way back to escape. Get it right, and you'll be transported to a new area. Keep in mind that this is your last chance to explore the prison, so make sure you've gotten collectibles and found the rifle, arguably the best of the Silent Hill 2 Remake weapons.
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