VERSION 1
AN EXPLANATION OF THE COMPLETE PLOT OF SILENT HILL 2
AND SILENT HILL 2: RESTLESS DREAMS
A videogame by Konami Computer Entertainment
c2001, 2002 President Evil
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1. Table of Contents
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Chapters
1. Table of Contents
2. Updates
3. Introduction
4. Regarding the town, Silent Hill
5. Mary and Maria
6. Angela
7. Eddie
8. Laura
9. Pyramid Head
10. Four Endings, Four Meanings
11. Maria's Adventure (XBox Sub Scenario)
12. Frequently Asked Questions
13. Credits
You can always find the newest version of this guide at the following
locations on the web:
Silent Hill Sanitarium - www.dark-legacy.org/silent-hill
GameFAQs - www.gamefaqs.com
SILENT HILL and SILENT HILL 2 are copyright 1998, 2001 Konami Computer
Entertainment Company of Tokyo. All of the characters, situations and
events described in this document are the property of Konami, and no
copyright infringement is intended in their discussion herein.
This document is copyrighted in the year 2001 by Dan Birlew, a.k.a.
"President Evil". No portion of this document may be used or reprinted
without the express written permission of the author.
Release or use of this document on or before September 25th, 2001 is
expressly prohibited!!!!
September 25, 2001 - First version posted at Silent Hill Sanitarium on
the day that the game is released.
September 27, 2001 - With some reluctance, I cave in to the overwhelming
demand for the analysis of the endings. The section has now been added
to the Plot Guide, so enjoy. I've also corrected several dozen grammar
and spelling mistakes. The main text of the guide is now finished.
October 23, 2001 - Corrected some grammar with the help of Steven Newell.
Added an FAQ section to answer the overwhelming number of emails
received. Thanks for the support!
December 21, 2001 - Added new section to cover Maria's new sub scenario
on the XBox version of PS2. More questions answered in the FAQ section.
January 6,2002 - More questions answered in the FAQ section.
I can't argue that life has been extremely good to me since I wrote
my SILENT HILL PLOT GUIDE in early 1999. Since then, I started writing
strategy guides for Bradygames, and my career has really taken off from
there. When my publisher licensed the rights to SILENT HILL 2, that's
why I became nostalgic about the old FAQs that I used to do, and
decided to do another. The idea to write a plot analysis of a videogame
originated in the amount of confusion I perceived at many gaming
messageboards across the net. Everyone certainly enjoyed the first
SILENT HILL, but no one seemed to be able to agree on what the game was
about. The first attempt to write a plot guide about SILENT HILL was
really just a gathering of all the best theories concerning the story
of the game. It was hardly the most coherent thing I've ever written,
but I didn't think anyone would want to read it or want to know what
I thought this game was about. Was I wrong!
The response to the SILENT HILL PLOT GUIDE was completely overwhelming.
To this date, I've been asked around 6,323 questions regarding the plot
of SILENT HILL, and about the plot guide that I wrote. Considering how
many people were reading and responding to the material, I decided to
put a little more effort into the organization and writing in the
file. And that second version is now available online if you want to go
back and read it.
When SILENT HILL 2 was announced just this time last year, I received
about a hundred e-mails asking if I was going to "update" the plot
guide. Well, I don't think that is necessary. The SILENT HILL PLOT
GUIDE is as complete a source as I am willing to collect on that
particular game. And now that I've played SILENT HILL 2 nearly ten
times, I cannot agree that these two games can even be analyzed in the
same document. SILENT HILL 2 has a much better developed story line
than the first game did. Also, the nature and environment of the game
is so much different. Sure, we still have cool swirling fog effects
and a flashlight has to be used to get through most of the game. The
scene shifts from decrepit and abandoned buildings to outright blood-
soaked, rust-coated walls, but not as frequently as in the first game.
The story is much simpler, much more understandable, and frankly,
this plot guide is hardly necessary. But a writer likes to keep the
tradition alive...
The first thing you'll note is that this document is much shorter
than the plot guide for the first game. This analysis is written in
the vein of reflection, in the assumption that you, the reader, have
played SILENT HILL 2 at least more than once. The plot elements
discussed herein are named only briefly, so that I can discuss the
scene which you and I have both witnessed and we both know what I'm
talking about. So if you just bought the game and you haven't even
finished your first clear, then you are reading the wrong document.
I'd recommend you purchase the SILENT HILL 2 OFFICIAL STRATEGY GUIDE
by Bradygames, because I wrote it and it is the most complete walk-
through source you need for the game. This plot document is something
of an expansion upon that guide, dealing mostly with the story
elements.
So while I'm saying that the game is simpler to understand than the
first game, that doesn't mean that this game is a walk in the park
either. Frankly, I do not blame you for turning to this guide,
and I hope that what I discuss herein helps tie up any loose ends of
the game that you didn't really understand. I've developed this guide
after speaking at length with developers and testers at Konami Computer
Entertainment of America, and this really is the definitive version of
what happens in the game. My plot guide for the first game is fully my
own speculation, and it will remain so. I have never put that guide up
as the definitive explanation of what happened, and I have always
encouraged everyone who has read that guide to conclude for themselves
what takes place in SILENT HILL. I have never tried to put it forth as
the only explanation. This is not the case with this plot guide. This
time, I know exactly what Konami has developed for us, and I'm just
here to clarify a few points in the game that might remain mysterious
to some folks.
I'd be perfectly happy to discuss the story of SILENT HILL 2 with you.
If you are looking for puzzle solutions or boss strategies, do not
bother. Ask one of the guys that write the free online FAQs, or look
in the Bradygames Official Guide because it's all there. So if you do
read this entire FAQ and something is still not making sense, please
contact me. I will answer any questions that I feel have not been
answered in this document, and I'll most likely add an FAQ section to
this if there are a lot of queries. However, I don't think we'll have
that problem, considering how much less complex the sequel is than the
original.
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4. Regarding the Town, Silent Hill
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Probably the main things in common between both games are the setting
and the visual design of the game. I would argue that the games have
little in common story-wise. Perhaps the first game is meant as a
launch pad for several games all revolving around the supernatural
powers found in this quaint American town.
Silent Hill is still a town that almost seems trapped in time. The
deserted streets are filled with a swirling fog that prevents seeing
more than 20 feet in any direction. As James proceeds down the nature
trail into the south portion of town, strange noises emanate from the
woods around him. When he reaches a small graveyard, he meets a young
woman who was also drawn to Silent Hill. She seems as confused as to
why she is here as James is. She too is looking for someone she has
been out of contact with for some time. Silent Hill seems to be a
spiritual sort of place, which calls out to people who are lost. But
Angela also warns James of something that he will find out for himself
all too soon;
"There's uh,... There's something WRONG with this town."
Upon reaching the eastern part of the South Vale neighborhood, where
James will spend most of the game, he spots a disturbing figure moving
north. Blood splattered gore painted in long streaks on cement seems to
lead him to a construction site blocking access through the tunnel
under Nathan Avenue. He hears a strange noise as he gets closer, and
finds that all that static is emanating from a small pocket radio that
doesn't seem to work correctly. As he examines the portable device a
bizarre abhorrence rises behind him. It looks like a patient from a
mental hospital, only its straightjacket of flesh has been pulled over
its head. James grabs a board with nails and bashes the creature until
it seems to be dead. Yes, there is indeed something very wrong in
Silent Hill, and James has only seen a small glimpse of what is to come.
The story behind the town of Silent Hill is much better developed in
this sequel than in the first game. Silent Hill is meant to be a small
getaway town, someplace quiet and quaint that you might read about in a
romantic novel or a child's storybook. And while the locals have been
able to sell the town to visitors as a quiet resort community built
around the large Toluca Lake, Silent Hill has had a much longer and
much darker history than anyone cares to mention.
The history of the town is revealed in many ways. The paintings at the
SH Historical Society and the sealed underground area indicate that
the Brookhaven Hospital was originally built to house victims of the
plague. This means that an awful lot of people died in that particular
location, and why they would want to build a hospital at the site of
such horror and suffering is unfathomable. Also, the paintings in the
area under the museum depict the origin of the Toluca Prison Camp in the
1820s. Much nastiness also occurred there, it seems. Many Civil War
prisoners were transferred to this prison, during a sinister period of
US history called the Reconstruction. During this time, thousands of
captured confederate soldiers were allowed to starve and become sick in
poorly maintained prison camps. Ruthless executions were carried out
without decision of court. In Toluca Prisons, the inmates were actually
given a choice to be hanged or "skewered", which is exactly what
happens to Maria near the very end of the game. The executioners are
clearly depicted on the base of the scaffold in the Toluca Prison yard.
They wore tall, pointed helmets and carried large spears for skewering.
The monsterous Pyramid Heads are these executioners, still carrying out
false sentences indiscriminately. This is how Pyramid Head and the
painting called "Misty Day, Remains of the Judgement" affect Silent
Hill's history.
Also building upon the history of Silent Hill are the statues and
memos found around town. On the lakeside of Rosewater park is a
monument to the victims of a ship that mysteriously sank in the harbor
ages ago. This incident is also mentioned in the local magazine James
finds in the front office of the Prison. The ship was called the Little
Baroness, and it actually disappeared without a trace in November of
1918. The ship was carrying tourists. Apparently in 1939 something even
stranger happened in Silent Hill, but the rest of the article has been
ripped out to prevent us from knowing what it pertains to. After
learning in the first game that bizarre drugs were being sold to
tourists in Silent Hill, you get the idea that something about this
town really doesn't like outsiders. A supernatural anti-tourist
sentiment seems to be something brewing in the series, and maybe we'll
see where it goes if further games are released.
Also in Rosewater Park is a partially-illegible plaque on the "praying
woman" statue. In documents I obtained from Konami, the inscription
on this plague is supposed to say that the monument stands in honor of
Jennifer Carroll, "victim of persecution by the Christians". Obviously
Silent Hill once had its bought of witch-trials, and this lady stood
accused and was executed. Perhaps these incidents festered a grudge
against God among the spirits inhabiting the area? It's just a thought.
The problem with this is that the town seems to have been founded
around 1820, which means that if the Christians were still persecuting
anyone by then, it was an extremely late occurrence in history. Next on
the list is the first monument found on Lindsey Street, which is mostly
illegible. But it is also the most revealing when you figure out what
it says; "The x meters of land surrounding this monument were
originally swamp, but were later filled in. From long ago, the swamp
was nicknamed Blood Swamp because the executioners poured the water
used to wash the execution tools in here. Perhaps it's for that reason
that many people claim to have seen ghosts in the area." This is the
most obvious indicator of Silent Hill's haunted past and its long
history of bloodshed. James Sunderland and Harry Mason (the main
character from the first game) are not the first people to see strange
things in this town. This inscription also ties together the travesties
and weird rituals that occurred at the Prison with the bizarre events
currently taking place around James.
But quite possibly the most telling piece is the Book of Lost Memories,
available to find only in a replay game. In this book, the unknown
author vaguely ties together the entire mythological and historical
history of Silent Hill. The town once had a different name entirely,
and the land was stolen from its true inhabitants by the people who
founded that town. Those early inhabitants were most likely Native
American tribes, judging by how the book is written and the
spirituality involved. They called this land "The Place of the Silent
Spirits", believing that the spirits of their dead ancestors lived here
in harmony with the spirits of nature. Powerful rituals were performed
here to honor the dead and the spirit world, but then settlers arrived
and chased off the tribes. Sometime after establishing a small town
here, the residents abandoned the area for unknown reasons. This is
when new settlers must have founded Silent Hill, sometime in the early
1800's. This story resembles the premise of many classic horror stories,
where the ignorant white man is besieged by the spirit ancestors of the
Native Americans who were wronged so long ago.
The current state of Silent Hill was triggered in the first game, of
course. If you want to know more, play the first game and then read my
plot guide for it if you don't understand the story. But even at the
end of SILENT HILL, when Alessa is granted a second chance as a new
infant and Harry escapes Silent Hill with Cybil, the town is left in a
perpetual state of fogginess. Obviously the mark of Samael was spread
at least far enough that the Old Gods now hold complete autonomy over
the Silent Hill region. The town remains abandoned, much like it did
centuries ago. Certain persons are compulsively drawn to this mysterious
place, for reasons they probably don't understand or don't want to
accept. James received a letter from his dead wife, asking him to meet
her in their "special place" in Silent Hill. While he runs around
trying to figure out what the letter means, James runs into others who
have been drawn to this town for other reasons that have nothing to do
with him.
But one similar thread runs through the back-stories of the three main
characters, James, Eddie and Angela. The common factor for all these
folks is an overwhelming sense of guilt about things they did in the
past, things that can't be undone in the real world. Silent Hill is a
place where reality is not what it used to be, and it might be possible
for the guilty to find a second chance to gain forgiveness from the
dead... Or to finally find the condemnation they so richly deserve.
By the time we reach the "special place", which ends up being Room 312
inside the Lake View Hotel, we know what sin James is guilty of. This
explains to us why he has seen the things he's seen, and why he has
been forced to watch helplessly as Maria dies over and over again. In
Silent Hill, the driving force of nature is perspective. Silent Hill is
what you bring to it, and the demons that have plagued James' soul have
taken physical form and now are seeking vengeance. Through the next
several sections, the meanings of various scenes will be discussed and
James' story will be unraveled as the town of Silent Hill is seen
through the eyes of all the other characters in the game.
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5. Mary and Maria
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By examining the strange similarities between James' dead wife Mary and
the mysterious girl James meets in Silent Hill, who calls herself Maria,
we will also be examining James' own story and his deep-seated guilt.
The premise of the story is that Mary died three years ago from a
horrible and disfiguring disease. But one day, James Sunderland receives
a letter that seems to have been written by her. Mary says she's waiting
for James in Silent Hill, in their "special place".
Still looking for some resolution to his troubled past, James drives to
Silent Hill. Arriving at the very south side of town, he encounters a
strange fog that appears all at once. A bit further down the road, he
finds that construction has blocked the underpass on Nathan Avenue. He
stops at a nearby bathroom for a moment, and figures out that he must
enter Silent Hill on foot. Navigating the nature trails along Toluca
Lake and the empty Wiltse River bed, he arrives at the east side of the
South Vale area. Before the town was recently abandoned, the South Vale
area had begun a total remodeling, to attempt to compete for the
tourist trade which was thriving across the lake near the Lakeside
Amusement Park. Several areas of east South Vale are blocked by
the barriers of the construction crews, and still other roads seem to
have been obliterated by strange cave-ins. James starts encountering
monsters almost immediately, and he must fight for survival. James
decides to try to reach the park where he and Mary spent an entire day.
To do so, he must go through an abandoned slum where a monster with a
conical head stalks him. After a horrendous encounter with this
"Pyramid Head", James reaches the west side of South Vale and the park.
Standing at the dockside, staring out over the lake is a young woman who
could be Mary's twin. There are enough differences to separate the
women, such as hair, clothes and attitude. But the woman tells James
that her name is Maria, which is certainly a creepy coincidence.
James explains to her what he is doing in Silent Hill, and why he first
mistook Maria for his dead wife. Through their conversation, James
realizes that the park wasn't the best place to look. He asks about the
Lake View Hotel and Maria does acknowledge that it's still across the
lake.
Maria tends to joke by making many sexual connotations about James
and his late wife. At first, James really doesn't appreciate this and
starts to leave her. But Maria begs and pleads to go along with James,
and then resorts to outright seductive tactics.
"I look like Mary, don't I," asks Maria. "You loved her, right?"
Her tone abruptly changes, as if incensed by something about James. "Or
maybe, you HATED her."
James is ticked off again, but Maria begs to go along with him and he
agrees. Maybe because Maria is so much like Mary, he likes having her
around. Obviously, over the course of the next hour of the game, she
does grow on him to some extent.
Nathan Avenue, the only road that heads around the lake toward the
hotel, is blocked off because the bridge has fallen out. A clue from a
dead tourist's map points James back to a bowling alley. There, he
encounters Eddie and Laura, and chases the little girl. Maria isn't
able to keep up with the little girl either, and Laura leads James on a
merry chase. In a back alley, when James is confronted with a locked
door, Maria pulls out three keys to unlock it. The building they have
to pass through to catch up with Laura ends up being the Heaven's Night
bar. A person wonders why Maria would have the keys to a strip club
handy? She is certainly dressed like a seductress.
Maria and James follow the little girl into the Brookhaven Hospital.
After the two search the building for a while, Maria gets tired and
lies down in an old patient's room. She medicates herself with pills,
and claims she's only suffering from a hangover in spite of her cough.
James continues searching the hospital for Laura alone. Eventually, he
finds her playing with her toys.
After the little girl locks James in an Examining Room full of weird
ceiling creatures, James experiences the kind of "reality shifting" that
lovers of SILENT HILL games have come to recognize. After the shift,
James finds that the hospital seems to have been redecorated in a much
more sinister manner. The sense of dilapidation in the place has
progressed sharply, from the previous sense that the building was
perhaps a hundred years old to the feeling that the hospital is now
centuries old. Doors that could previously be entered are now broken and
not openable, and doors that were previously broken can now be entered.
As James progresses through the hospital a second time, he learns that
Maria has disappeared from the room where he left her. If memory serves
correctly, there are so many empty pill bottles near the bedside that
it seems Maria has been in this room for days suffering from her
"hangover".
Proceeding through this "new" hospital, James eventually finds clues and
keys that lead him down to the basement level. After finding the
entrance to a secret room beneath the storeroom, Maria suddenly enters
the room. She is quite angered that James left her behind, and that he
has again mistaken her for Mary. She clutches desperately to James,
insisting that he is "supposed to protect" her. She also wants to find
Laura very badly, claiming that she feels compelled to protect the
little girl.
Maria continues to accompany James, but in the unmapped corridors that
wind their way beneath the hospital they encounter Pyramid Head yet
again. Running from the horrifying creature, James jumps onboard the
elevator just in time. But the doors close before Maria can get inside
safely. James tries desperately to get the elevator doors open, but to
no avail. As he watches helplessly through the tiny crack in the doors,
Maria is slain by the monster. The elevator carries James up to the
first floor, where a sense of overwhelming sadness has obviously over-
taken him. In his mind, he compares the situation of Maria dying to Mary
dying, realizing that he was helpless in both cases. He resolves to find
Laura and to find Mary, if she really is in this town waiting for him.
After fighting his way through several levels, James enters a
surrealistic labyrinth of corridors and caves. Quite suddenly, he
discovers a cell inhabited by none other than Maria. Reasonably
confused, he attempts to ask her how she is still alive and why she is
imprisoned here. Maria seems not to remember the incident the same way
that James does. She claims that they were only "separated" in the long
corridor. She then elaborates, remembering how James was always so
forgetful. She remembers the videotape that James made at the hotel, and
then he accidentally left it there. But naturally, there is no way that
she could remember these things, because they didn't happen to her.
These would logically be the memories of Mary, but logic seems to have
fled the situation long ago. When James tries to determine if she is
really Maria, she vindictively hisses that she is not Mary. She is
Maria... if James WANTS her to be. When James becomes angry over these
riddles, Maria again resorts to seductive tactics in order to win him
over. He agrees to navigate the labyrinth further in order to save her.
But alas, the labyrinth is long and full of wrong turns, and James
arrives at Maria's cell too late. The poor young woman is definitely
dead this time, having suffered massive trauma to the face and head. Her
pasty condition would seem to indicate that she has been dead for some
hours, not the few minutes that it seemed to take James to reach her.
What can be the meaning of Maria dying over and over again?
When James finally reaches his destination, the Lake View Hotel, he
catches up with Laura at last. The little girl has a letter of her own
from Mary, which indicates that James' wife wanted to adopt Laura as
their own, and that Laura's birthday was coming up soon. The little
girl confirms that her eighth birthday was only a week ago. This is
something of an astonishing revelation in itself. James has been
wrong all this time about Mary's death. She has not been dead for
three years. If she really is dead, she has only been gone for about
a week or so.
Another strange occurrence in the hotel is one you might have missed.
Upon entering the hotel, if you use the Examine command on Mary's
letter you will see that the stationery is now completely blank! In
fact, considering the memory lapses James has obviously been having,
this blank page now draws into question whether James ever really
received a letter from Mary at all. If the letter was only a figment
of James' imagination, then what brought him to Silent Hill?
Perhaps its because Silent Hill was the last place where he and Mary
were truly happy. James finds the videotape that he left in the hotel,
and when he inserts it into the VCR in Room 312 we can see that Mary
really loved this little town. She wanted James to promise that he
would bring her back here, but he never did. Her illness consumed her
quickly thereafter, and no more happiness was ever to be had.
But what happens next on the tape is the most revealing truth of all.
After some static interference, resembling what happens when you
record something new on an old tape at a different playback speed,
we see a scene that no one could have possibly been around to video-
tape. James comes to Mary's deathbed and kisses her lovingly on the
cheek. Then he snatches the pillow from behind her and smothers her to
death. The view switches to Mary's blurry perspective, as she watches
her husband euthanize her.
James hasn't come here to find Mary. He's been running from what he did,
hoping to forget his horrible act of selfishness. He didn't want to
watch Mary suffer under such a horrid disease, but he also didn't want
her to be around anymore. The disease made her disgusting to look at,
and her resulting mood swings were violent and abusive. Mary was no
longer the woman that he had married, and he couldn't stand the pain
that her slow and deliberate death was bringing him. Silent Hill, as I
said before, is a place that calls out to the damned. And the damned on
earth are those who suffer from the weight of their deeds.
That's why James thought he received a letter from Mary. That's why he
came here, and why he met Maria. The dark forces of Silent Hill knew
that he wanted to suffer for what he'd done, and have tricked him into
coming here. Maria represents everything that James wished Mary could
be: charming, seductive, and pleasant. Silent Hill created Maria to fill
James wish, so that he would remain there with her forever. That is why
Maria's goal seems to revolve around making James stay with her and
Protect her. But Silent Hill is also what you bring with you. Just
like when James stares into the mirror at the very beginning of the
game. Being in Silent Hill is like staring into a dark mirror, only
the person's inner demons are manifested and made real. In Silent Hill,
the past is not something you can forget, it is made physical and it
can bite you in the ass. That is why James has been fighting monsters,
and why all of the puzzles he's been solving and all of the memos he's
been reading seem to bear personal messages for James alone. Quite
frankly, James is the only character that has seen monsters, and he is
the only one that has seen Maria. Notice how Maria is never around when
James runs into Laura? This is probably because the little girl either
wouldn't have been able to see Maria, or she would have seen that she
was only a cheap and hideous facsimile of Mary, created to entrap James.
Maria is someone for James to love, who will love him back. In all
respects, she is a perfect copy of Mary. She even has many of the same
memories. But she is also here to haunt James, and that is why he is
forced to watch her die repeatedly, while he remains helpless. Just like
what happened with Mary, Silent Hill is determined to make James suffer
for what he's done, and to make him face the fact that he is a murderer
just like Eddie and Angela. The entire town is like a perfect reflection
of the past, where things that you don't like are changed to suit your
liking. But the intentions are purely evil, since the forces in control
of the town hail from the Satanic realm. The dark secrets a man hides in
his soul are the food that the demons of Silent Hill crave, and this town
has tricked him into returning here so that it may compound and feast
upon his misery.
How James deals with Silent Hill is determined by his actions during
the game. What steps he takes to resolve the injustice he did to
his late wife is played out in one of four endings, all with separate
meanings. Those four endings and their meanings are discussed later on.
For now, I'll expand on the reflective principles of Silent Hill by
quickly examining the side stories of the supporting characters.
The first other real person that James meets in Silent Hill is Angela.
Wandering the graveyard on the outskirts of town, Angela seems somewhat
confused and disoriented. She is looking for her father and brother, and
thought that they were in the graveyard. The first question that comes
to mind is, are the father and brother visiting too or are they
interred here in the graveyard? We will eventually find out the answer.
For now, all Angela can remember is that her mama might be here, and
that there is something wrong with this town. She can't quite remember
what.
Considering the "blackouts" suffered by characters in the first game, I
begin to wonder if Angela is actually a resident of Silent Hill? I am
more inclined to believe that she has returned here after living else-
where in the country for some time. When we find out her circumstances
later, it becomes plausible that she is a teen runaway who has returned
here to reunite with her family. She is looking for her mama - I mean,
her mother. But I can't figure out if she was here when the supernatural
forces took over.
Moving on, the next time James encounters Angela, she seems to have
already abandoned her quest to find mama. Laying on the floor inside a
decrepit apartment building, she studies a knife so intently that her
thoughts are obvious. Out of natural human concern, James tries to talk
her into handing over the knife.
"I don't know what you're planning," he tells her, "but there's always
another way."
"Really?" she replies sarcastically. "But... You're the same as me. It's
easier just to run. Besides, it's what we deserve."
James is quick to remove himself from her statements, for whatever
reason. "No... I'm not like you."
Angela's voice changes noticeably, taking on a mocking tone. "Are you
AFRAID?" Then she quickly apologizes, as if she's shrugging off some
sort of spell that suddenly came over her and quickly dissipated.
James changes the subject, asking if Angela found her mother, and if
her mother used to live in this town. Angela is quite shocked that he
knows this, but he admits that he was just assuming as much from their
conversation. So he tries to start over, asking Angela why she's here.
She abruptly reverses the question, and James shows Mary's picture to
her. He admits that he really shouldn't be searching for Mary, since
she is actually dead. This makes Angela extremely uncomfortable, and
she moves to leave. James talks her into turning over the knife. But
when he goes to take it, she is alarmed by his sudden movements. Quickly
she apologizes and runs.
A few things about Angela have become apparent from this conversation.
I'm not a psychiatrist, but I believe that Angela suffers from a split-
personality disorder. Her sudden mood swings and constant changing of
the subject suggest either a deep concentration problem, or that little
switches are turning on and off in her head as her personality rides a
roller coaster around inside her skull. She too is a person suffering
from a deep internal guilt, and we just have to find out what it stems
from. The photo James can find on the floor in the bedroom immediately
afterward hints at part of the explanation. The photo depicts a family,
torn in half. Specifically, the father's part of the picture has been
ripped away from the daughter and mother. This picture shows that
Angela's problems are rooted in her family's history.
Angela does not appear again until extremely late in the game, in the
bizarre Labyrinth. In case you were wondering, Konami does agree that
this area exists wholly outside of time or reality. If you can fathom
it, the evil forces of Silent Hill are manufacturing this area as James
moves through it! Returning to Angela, her story picks up again when
James finds a newspaper on the floor in the Labyrinth. The text is only
partially legible. Here is what the document originally said, before it
was obscured:
"The body of a man later identified as Thomas Orosco
(Lumberjack, age 39) was discovered in the middle
of his room lying face up. The probable cause of
death was multiple stab wounds to the front of the
neck and the left side of the torso by a sharp
edged weapon. The estimated time of death was
somewhere between 11:00 p.m. and 12:30 midnight.
Due to signs of struggle in the room and the lack
of a murder weapon, police are considering this a
homicide and have opened a murder investigation.
Furthermore, given the fact that the cash in the
room was untouched and Mr. Orosco had a history of
drunkenness and violence, the police suspect that
the motive was not robbery but some sort of crime
of passion."
Moving into the next corridor, James hears a horrible scream from
Angela:
"No, Daddy! Please don't!"
James rushes into the room to find Angela and a bizarre creature that
seems to grow out of a door. While Konami documents refer to this
creature as "Angela Papa", I thought it more appropriate and less of a
spoiler to rename this creature type a Doorman in the OSG. While Angela
sits transfixed in the corner, James proceeds to fight it out with the
creature. Provided the player survives the encounter, a scene occurs
afterward. In a fit of violent rage, Angela stands and lifts a heavy
television set. She smashes it over the creature's head, and exerts an
extreme amount of overkill on the monster. Then some dialogue occurs
between she and James:
James says "Angela! Relax!"
"Don't order me around!" she yells back.
"I'm not trying to order you," replies James, with a logical tone.
"So what do you want then?" asks Angela. She proceeds with sarcasm and
venom. "Oh I see, you're trying to be nice to me, right? I know what
you're up to. It's always the same. You're only after one thing."
James is naturally appalled. "No, that's not true at all."
Angela continues in her rant. "You don't have to lie. Just go ahead and
say it. Or you could just force me. Beat me up like he always did. You
only care about yourself anyway. You disgusting pig."
Angela then falls to the floor. Shaking with the violence of her
emotions she becomes nauseous and starts to dry-heave. After a moment of
recovery, she goes after James again.
"You said your wife Mary was dead, right?"
James admits, "Yes, she was ill..."
"Liar! I know about you.... You didn't want her around anymore. You
probably found someone else!" Angela turns and runs out of the room,
fleeing once again. James is left to reflect to himself.
"That's ridiculous..." he tells himself, "I never..."
But the truth is, the object of this portion of the game is to reach
Maria's cell in the Labyrinth. Maria's final words to James contained an
implied promise of sex. So in effect, Angela is right. However, her rash
emotional state and illogical nature only cause the player to discount
what she is saying at this point. We have been watching James' story all
this time, and he repeatedly announces that his main goal is to try to
find Mary somewhere in Silent Hill. But has he been reaffirming his
goals, or only trying to convince himself of something that isn't true?
By examining Angela's story and her neurosis, we are examining an aspect
of James personality as well. With Angela, there is no denial, there is
no escaping the truth. All she can do is just keep running from it, as
she has obviously been doing for a very long time. When we finally learn
James' secret, we realize that he has been denying the truth all along,
and that crazy old Angela has actually been right about him! Also notice
that Angela has a habit of unleashing furious or volatile emotions at
James, and then she quickly runs away. This is a major clue which
confirms that Angela is guilty of the murder of her father. While we
don't know exactly what happened between Angela and the monster in the
Labyrinth room (even Konami members won't speculate), we do know that
for whatever hideous reason, from Angela's perspective that monster was
her father come back to haunt her. Remember that Silent Hill is what you
bring with you...
Angela's true purpose in the game is finally revealed in her final
scene. After learning the truth about himself and Mary, James encounters
Angela inside the alternate version burned-out Lakeside Hotel. Entering
the basement stairway, James finds himself at the bottom of a much
different scene. The stairway rises upward into total black, as if the
stairs never end. Everything is on fire, the walls, the stairs, the
roof. In spite of the consuming chaos whirling around her, Angela stares
at a bizarre artwork on the wall. In my interpretation, it depicts a
woman's body rendered as a sacrificial object. Noticing James' presence,
she turns to him:
"Mama!" she yells. She runs to James and embraces his face in her hands.
Her delusion lasts another full minute. "Mama," she cries, "I was
looking for you. Now you're the only one left. Maybe then... Maybe then
I can rest." James pulls away from her. Angela's delusion suddenly
fades, just like all her other spells. "Mama, why are you running away?
Wait, you're not Mama! It's you... I'm sorry."
James indicates that it's alright, but Angela's not accepting his
kindness anymore. "Thank you for saving me, but I wish you hadn't.
Even mama said it... I deserved what happened..." James protests, but
Angela continues. "No, don't pity me. I'm not worth it..."
The insane woman's personality switches over again. She is now the
Angela who mocks James as a despicable man just like her father. "Or
maybe you think you can save me? Will YOU love me? Take care of me? Heal
all my pain?"
She waits momentarily for an answer, but James only bows his head.
"That's what I thought," she says. "James, give me back that knife."
When James refuses to give the utensil back to her, she accuses him of
keeping it for himself. Weekly, he denies any suicidal thoughts. Perhaps
he's been having them after all.
Lastly, Angela turns and begins to ascend the burning staircase. The
flames engulf the path between her and James. There is no saving Angela.
James has finally learned that she is resigned to her damnation.
"It's hot as hell in here," he mentions in passing.
Angela turns back momentarily. "You see it too?" she says. "For me, it's
always like this."
There can be absolutely no doubt that Angela's story reinforces the idea
that Silent Hill provides a dark reflection of the guilty to themselves.
Her perception of events in Silent Hill has been completely different.
Angela doesn't see twisted hulking demons that want to kill her. She
sees the face of the man who molested her and whom she ultimately
murdered for revenge. She sees the mother and brother she left behind,
while fleeing from her horrible deeds and her maniacal past.
Angela's fate represents the suicide ending of the game, since if James
examines her knife or reads the suicide diary the "In Water" ending is
achieved. Angela has never really denied what her family did to her, and
what she did back to them. Her vain search for her mama has really been
an insane attempt to make peace with the dead before she joins them. She
has been in Silent Hill longer than James, and her quest is just coming
to an end as James begins his. She has already found her answer by the
second time James encounters her, and his interference only delays what
she has finally resolved to do. But in the end, Angela realizes that
James cannot save her, and she cannot find the dead to make peace with
them. Silent Hill has taught her that her only escape from her guilt is
suicide, and it is an answer that Silent Hill will teach to James also
if the player decides to follow Angela's example.
=======================================================================
7. Eddie
=======================================================================
Eddie Dumbrowski is an overweight simpleton with rather harsh values.
James first encounters Eddie in the South Vale apartment buildings,
where he has been leaving marks all over the place. In the room where
James finds the Handgun, for instance, someone has been randomly
shooting the walls and floors like an obsessive madman. In the room
where the clock puzzle is solved, James returns to find that a person
has just been shot execution style in the back of the head. Finally,
James enters a first floor apartment and discovers a newly dead person
stuffed into the fridge. The sounds of someone getting violently ill
emanate from the bathroom nearby.
Inside the bathroom, Eddie is hunched over the toilet, puking his guts
out. From the amount of retching, he's either eaten something very foul
or he's suffering what a lot of soldiers and first time killers have
reported; killer's guilt syndrome. When James tries to see if he's okay,
Eddie leaps to his own defense.
"It wasn't me! I didn't do it!" he declares.
"Do what?" asks a confused James.
"I didn't do anything! I, I swear. He was like this when I got here..."
James makes no real indication whether he believes Eddie or not. Still,
he introduces himself and Eddie follows suit. When James finally asks
about the dead guy in the kitchen, Eddie continues to defend himself.
James finds that he must switch the subject.
"You're not friends with that red, pyramid thing, are you?" It's a
feeble and illogical question, but James must form alliances with whom-
ever he can.
Eddie is confused by the question. "Red pyramid thing? I don't know what
yer talkin' about. Honest. But I did see some weird-looking monsters.
They scared the hell outta me, so I ran in here..."
James seems somewhat relieved that someone else is seeing monsters too.
"Well, I guess this place isn't too safe either." he says. "What
happened here anyway?"
"Uh I, I told ya I don't know. I'm not even from this town. I just, I
just..."
James knows the answer. "You too, huh? Something just brought you here,
right?"
"Umm... yeah. You could say that..."
James advises Eddie to forget about it and leave town. But when Eddie
poses the same advice back, James cannot yet agree that he's going to
leave. At this point, he still has an overwhelming need to find Mary.
Although we don't have confirmation until somewhat later in the game,
Eddie is indeed running around Silent Hill murdering people. Who are
these people he's killing, and why hasn't James seen them? James'
perspective is different than Eddie's, and so he doesn't see humans. He
only sees the monsters from within his soul made manifest. In Eddie's
perspective, the monsters are actually people who are laughing at him.
So when James sees these murdered people laying around, he is seeing the
monsters from Eddie's perspective in that moment.
Eddie has come to Silent Hill because he has determined that no one is
going to make fun of him or laugh at him anymore, and he'll do whatever
it takes to stop them. This evil town welcomes someone like Eddie with
open arms, and allows him to practice and perfect the arts of randomized
murder. Eddie's psychological state is echoed by the newspaper article
which relates the story of Walter Sullivan, who suddenly and viciously
murdered two children with an axe in Silent Hill one day. The evil
forces behind the town convince simple-minded fools that it's alright
to kill people at will. Do what thou wilt is the mantra of the Devil,
and it's a motto made into method in Silent Hill over and over again.
What is Eddie's purpose in the story? His personality displays the idea
that murder is something you can't take back. In Eddie's mind, you can't
absolve yourself from hurting others, you can only get better at it. For
Eddie, murder is the solution to all life's problems now, and he's ready
to keep doing it just to prove that he's a worthwhile individual.
Through his encounters with Eddie, I believe that Silent Hill is posing
this idea to James, as a kind of temptation. But when he balks at it,
Eddie determines that James is also laughing at him. With grim resolve,
he decides to engage in a shooting match with James which he will
ultimately lose. Unlike the fake monsters he's been shooting which
appear to be human, James is a real person and is more capable of
defending himself. But the main idea behind Eddie's appearances in the
game is that Silent Hill is trying to show James that he too is a
murderer, and that this is a place where murder is alright.
Unfortunately James will not accept these things until he is directly
reminded of his own atrocity committed.
While James condemns Eddie's actions, the oafish young man does bring up
a good point which will ring even more true at the end of the game:
"Don't get all holy on me, James," screams Eddie. "This town called you
you, too. You and me are the same. We're not like other people." Then,
incredulous at James' ignorance, he adds, "Don't you KNOW that?"
While Eddie is one of the more dangerous bosses in the game, his entire
purpose in the design is to make James see that he is a murderer too,
that the misguided man has no business condemning Eddie's resolve. But
we just don't get what Eddie is hinting at until James views the tape.
=======================================================================
8. Laura
=======================================================================
The mischievous little girl who taunts and harasses James throughout the
first half of the game turns out to be a friend of Mary's. She too was
deathly ill, and spent time in the same hospital as James' late wife.
She also has her own letter from Mary, which indicates that the sick
woman loved Laura very much and wanted to adopt her if the illness
passed. However, as Mary's health continued to decline and the end
became inevitable, Mary wrote a letter to Laura begging her to be
patient with James. Laura also mentions another letter, which seems to
have vanished. Funny, that's exactly what James seems to be experiencing
right now. Is there some other force at work in Silent Hill, which wants
to bring Laura and James together?
Laura's purpose in the game is wholly different than the other
characters. She doesn't have any hidden guilt or secrets, she's too
young. There are no demons in her soul to be reflected or made manifest
in Silent Hill. So from her perspective, the town is just an empty place
where Mary might be waiting for her, and James is a grumpy old fartface.
She also further proves the idea that Silent Hill is a place where the
darkness inside a person bites them in the ass. When James finds her in
the Brookhaven Hospital, he's amazed that the monster have left her
alone.
"This is no place for a kid," he says to her. "There are all sorts of
strange things around here... I can't believe you haven't even got a
scratch on you!"
Laura replies innocently, "Why should I?" She doesn't see the monsters
and the horror that James sees. She only sees an empty town where she
had hoped to find her lost mother-figure.
Laura proceeds to search for Mary under the assumptions that James
didn't love his sick wife as much as she did. Apparently, James rarely
came to visit her in the hospital. This is the first indication that
James is wrong about Mary, because his current feelings of longing for
her don't jive with his past actions. Also, Laura's letter proves that
James' memory is false. In the letter, Mary wishes Laura a happy 8th
birthday. The little girl confirms that she turned 8 only last week.
James realizes that Mary couldn't have died three years ago as he wanted
to believe. This is how she could still be alive, and waiting for him
here...
When Angela accuses James of not loving his former wife, he can't take
her seriously because of her apparent mental problems. But through the
innocent way Laura provides information to James, we learn things about
his personality that even he must come to accept. This is the role that
the young girl plays in the story line. She represents the undeniable
truth.
=======================================================================
9. Pyramid Head
=======================================================================
Some debate is sure to occur over the appearances of the ominous boss
monsters that James lovingly refers to as "Pyramid Heads". But actually,
this monster is probably the easiest element of the story to explain.
One of these monsters stalks James as he navigates through the abandoned
apartment buildings, which leads to a tense confrontation at the exit.
When James has shot the creature enough times, an alarm sounds in the
distance. The Pyramid Head staggers away, but one gets the distinct
impression that it retreats only because of the signal and not because
James is wounding it at all.
Pyramid Head is next encountered at the Brookhaven Hospital, where the
creature executes Maria by impaling her with a long spear. If James was
afraid of the creature before, he must now harbor a terrible grudge.
The next appearance of Pyramid Head is at the Silent Hill Historical
Society. The largest of the wall paintings inside the museum depicts
Pyramid Head standing near a scattering of his victims, all rigged and
ready for skewering. James instantly recognizes the villain. The title
of this hideous artwork is "Misty Day, Remains of the Judgement". Is it
possible that Pyramid Head is somehow tied into Silent Hill's past?
The answer is yes. As James heads toward Toluca Prison, he finds more
paintings and photos that depict the atrocities that were committed
against inmates there so long ago. And in case you didn't notice it,
there is an execution scene depicted at the base of the scaffold in the
Prison yard. Two Pyramid Heads are shown on either side of a executed
prisoner. At the end of the game, James watches in helpless horror as
two Pyramid Heads execute Maria. Then he must fight the both of them.
After the battle has gone on for some time, the two monsters suddenly
turn and move to the center of the room. They impale themselves on their
own spears! In a sense, James hasn't defeated them, they have obeyed the
silent commands of a much higher power.
What are Pyramid Heads? They are indeed the very same executioners whose
heinous killing spree at the Toluca Prison back in the 1800's caused the
town's swampland to run red with blood. They are the diabolical men who
carried out public skewering and hanging of Civil War prisoners, and
celebrated their atrocities with crimson and white banquets. The horror
they created here has scarred Silent Hill forever, and added to the
gruesome legacy of this town. Their acts of evil and butchery have
earned them a special place among the ranks of Hell, and they continue
to carry out their cold and malicious work under direction of the dark
forces now in control of Silent Hill. Pyramid Heads exist solely to
execute, to dispatch any and every creature that comes in their range.
Even the other monsters of Silent Hill are not safe from them.
Why is Pyramid Head after Maria? It has to do with James' perception of
himself and the murdering of his own wife. As indicated in previous
sections, Silent Hill confronts the guilty with dark reflection of the
things they don't want to face. James hasn't wanted to admit that he
mercy-killed his wife, and so the evil forces of Silent Hill called him
back here to stand trial for his crimes. That is why Maria has been made
to look so much like Mary. When James watches her die, over and over
again, he is really watching a reenactment of what he did to Mary but is
unwilling to admit to. No matter what resolutions or changes he attempts
to make, Silent Hill has pronounced him guilty, and the Pyramid Heads
have been dispatched to execute James for his crimes.
=======================================================================
10. Four Endings, Four Meanings
=======================================================================
After James defeats the two Pyramid Heads in the nightmare version of
the Lakeside Hotel and moves on, his actions during the game are added
up and an ending is determined by the game's program. But before we move
on, I'd like to point out something rather interesting. Anyone who has
played the first game wouldn't miss this, but someone who hasn't might
like to know. If you look closely at the carpet in the Hotel Lobby
before or during the Pyramid Head Duo boss fight, you'll notice two very
feint circular designs on the carpet. This is the infamous Mark of
Samael, imported directly from the first game! For those of you who
haven't played SH1, I'll explain briefly: A little girl named Alessa was
conceived through a magic ritual to bear the demon seed of an ancient
god named Samael. Due to her wounds received in a suspicious fire, she
remained in a coma for seven years. During this time, the evil powers
inside Alessa's immobile body had time to develop and grab a foothold in
the real world. When her soul-mate younger sister was returned to Silent
Hill by her clueless adoptive father, the power within Alessa burst
forth and took over the town, causing all the residents to disappear.
Under the psychic control of Samael, the soul-mate younger sister
adopted Alessa's teenage form and began magically spreading the mark of
Samael all over the town. By spreading this sigil, the demon god was
able to exert more power and more influence over our dimension. The mark
was spread far enough that even when Alessa was defeated, the town
remained in a perpetual state of fogginess. When the mark appears in the
Lakeside Hotel's lobby, it is a clear indication of who is really behind
all that is going on in this town. Further proof of Samael's rule over
Silent Hill is indicated in the secret book, the Crimson Ceremony. More
about this book and its other meaning in the game is explored in the
description of the "Rebirth" Ending.
I wanted to point all of this out to clarify things to folks who haven't
played the first game, and to show everyone what the true connection
between the two games is. Now on to the endings.
"MARIA" ENDING
This is the ending I got first, and I think most people will. This
ending occurs when you spend a lot of time with Maria, protect her from
harm, and do exactly what she says. At the end of the game, James hears
a replay of the final conversation with Mary before she died. If you go
through the corridor and exit through the other door before the dialogue
ends, you will get the "Maria" ending.
In this ending, James confronts Mary. He must apologize for taking so
long to find Mary, and for spending so much time with Maria. Mary is not
willing to let James move on and have a happier life. She transforms
into the most repulsive demon seen yet, and the final boss fight ensues.
After the battle, when James finally executes Mary, he returns to the
pier by the lake. Not surprisingly, Maria shows up. You just can't keep
a good slut down, I suppose. =) She attempts idle conversation, noting
that James decided to kill Mary again. James has come to a resolution,
which he suddenly springs on Maria. He has decided to accept a life with
Maria, and he wants her to leave Silent Hill with him. As a reward, she
hands over Mary's true letter. It allows James to let go of the past,
and to carry on in a new life with Maria. Together, they head back to
James' car parked by the highway.
But wait, isn't Maria just a fake replica of Mary? That's right. And
according to Konami, James has decided to accept the lies and false
promises of the dark forces in Silent Hill. He has decided that there is
more hope of a happier life with a fake Mary than to remain suffering
for what he did to Mary for the rest of his life. When he fought Mary
during the final battle, she was really just a representation of his
inner guilt and doubts made manifest. By "killing" his guilt and doubts,
James decides that he can't keep punishing himself. He rewards himself
by severing his obligations to his dead wife and putting his faith in
this newer and more pleasant facsimile of her instead. James has
succumbed to Maria's temptation. But the promise of a new life with
Maria is an empty one. In the final scene of this ending, as Maria and
James reach his car, she lets out another of her wracking coughs.
Ultimately, James will have to watch Maria die just as he watched Mary,
and the entire cycle of guilt and despair will begin again. But James
will at least be happy for the short term.
"LEAVE" ENDING
By spending as little time with Maria as possible, and by keeping
himself healthy and moving quickly through the game, James proves that
he has really returned to Silent Hill in order to find Mary. This ending
is also reinforced if James stops and stares at Mary's picture every
once in a while, and re-reads her letter often. The "Leave" Ending is
perhaps the more satisfying ending of the game, and I'll explain why and
what it means.
In the final boss fight, James rushes to the final area and assumes that
he has found Mary. But actually it is Maria, pretending to be his dead
wife. This is more proof than ever that Maria is really just an evil
facsimile of Mary. When he realizes what Maria is, he casts her aside.
Maria won't be tossed away so easily, and the final battle begins. Maria
reveals her horrible true form at last.
After James has executed the Maria demon, he finds himself at Mary's
bedside once again. Now he is speaking directly to the person he holds
so deeply in his heart. For one brief instance, she is alive again.
James holds nothing back. Sobbing with grief, he apologizes for killing
her, for wanting her misery to end. He admits wanting to end his own
misery as well. And finally, Mary forgives James and bids him to go on
with his life. She gives to him her real letter.
As the letter is read and we come to understand Mary's final wishes,
James and Laura leave Silent Hill together. The little girl runs ahead
of James, as they head through the lakeside graveyard back to James car.
This ending indicates that James is leaving Silent Hill with the closure
and resolution that he came here for. He can let go of his guilt, cast
off the demons that have plagued him, and begin again with Laura.
"IN WATER" ENDING
By far the most depressing of the four endings. If James examines
Angela's knife, reads the suicide diary on the hospital roof, listens to
the conversation on the headphones, and runs around wounded for long
periods without healing, then the game determines that he is acting in a
suicidal manner and this ending is achieved. Through his behavior,
James indicates that he wants to end his life. When he confronts Maria's
true form in the final scenes, she realizes that he plans to kill
himself in order to be together with Mary in death, and she wants to
prevent him. By murdering him herself, perhaps Maria can drag James down
to Hell so that he can't be with Mary. By defeating Maria's demon form,
James finds himself back at the moment of Mary's death. Rather than kill
her again, he apologizes for what he did to her. Despite her pleas for
him to go on with his life, he cannot. James picks up Mary and carries
her back to his car. He drives into the lake, and drowns in the murky
depths. Most people will find this a rather disturbing and unsatisfying
ending, and it's meant to be that way. The developers are trying to
encourage the player to seek out Mary more diligently.
"REBIRTH" ENDING
This ending is only available in a replay game, by collecting the four
new ceremonial items that appear at various locations throughout the
game. By collecting these items, James holds the keys to communicating
with the evil powers in control of Silent Hill. He determines that he
can possibly reunite with Mary by enlisting the aid of the old gods, and
resurrect his dead wife from the dead so that they might live together
forever in Silent Hill.
After James casts off Maria and defeats her true form, he gets back in
the boat and rows to an isolated island in the middle of the lake. We
are privy to his final thoughts, and it is clear that James intends to
use these ceremonial items to perform an ancient ritual to appease the
dark spirits which are so readily manifest in Silent Hill. He believes
this is why he was drawn here, to learn that such powers do indeed exist.
It is as if he has revived the cult of Samael, which was wiped out in
the first game.
The key to performing the ritual is the book called the "Crimson
Ceremony". As if written by Samael himself, this book clearly
legitimizes the ancient god's influence in Silent Hill:
"Speak.
I am the Crimson One.
The lies and the mist are not they but I.
You all know that I am One.
Yes, and the One is I.
Believers hearken to me!
Twenty score men and seven thousand beasts.
Heed my words and speaketh them to all, that they
shall ever be obeyed even under the light of the
proud and merciless sun.
I shall bring down bitter vengeance upon thee and
thou shalt suffer my eternal wrath. The beauty of
the withering flower and the last struggles of the
dying man, they are my blessings. Thou shalt ever
call upon me and all that is me in the place that
is silent.
Oh, proud fragrance of life which flies towards
the heart. Oh Cup which brims with the whitest of
wine, it is in thee that all begins."
Yeeesh, chilling stuff! The purpose of the book is to clarify the usage
of the Obsidian Goblet and the White Chrism, two other secret items that
can only be found in a replay game. By collecting these items and
viewing the "Rebirth" Ending, it's obvious that James has decided to
become a follower of Samael. By engaging in the dark ceremonies, he has
come to the insane conclusion that perhaps he will be able to resurrect
Mary from the dead by joining with and utilizing the powers of evil.
"DOG" ENDING
I'm not sure I even want to go into this one! This is merely an inside
joke on the part of the developers. By viewing all three endings or the
Rebirth Ending alone, the DOG Key appears along with the little doghouse
in the space behind Jack's Inn on Nathan Avenue. It's good to know the
practice of finding keys in doghouses of Silent Hill hasn't changed.
After finding the key, use it to unlock the "Observation Room" on the
third floor of the Nightmare Lakeside Hotel, right after James views
the tape. What happens inside is just too hysterical! The hilarity
continues as the credit rolls.
What is the meaning of this bizarre ending? Perhaps the developers are
poking fun at us for trying to find meaning in SILENT HILL 2 at all!
=======================================================================
11. Maria's Adventure (XBox Sub Scenario)
=======================================================================
Much to the lament of PlayStation2 owners everywhere, Konami announced
eariler last year that the XBox version of SILENT HILL 2, subtitled
"RESTLESS DREAMS", would have an additional scenario where the player
gets the chance to play as Maria and search all new areas of Silent
Hill. Well, all of these statements are true. But considering that the
whole sub scenario can be beaten in under six minutes without learning
anything really new should be a sign to PlayStation2 gamers that they
aren't missing much.
In the XBox version, James' main scenario is titled "Letter from Silent
Heaven", while Maria's sub scenario is titled "Born From a Wish". The
whole of Maria's short little story takes place directly before her
first meeting with James at the lake. So the scenario is indeed a
prequel, a device which is so popular these days.
What follows is a complete description of this short scenario. A
significant amount of spoilers are contained in this section, so
reader beware. My objective is to give PS2 owners the full SH2
experience, without feeling cheated.
NOTE:
A great deal of the plot of this short story
is derived from the Rebirth ending and the
ceremonial items. If you don't understand,
then replay the game and look for the four
ceremonial pieces, and read the description
of the Rebirth ending above.
The scenario starts with Maria in her dressing room at the Heaven's
Night dance club. She sits in a chair, mulling obsessively over a
revolver. The gun has only one bullet, is it meant for her? Maria
weighs this option heavily, and we are privy to her thoughts. Much the
same as the characters in SILENT HILL 1, Maria comments that when she
"woke up", the whole town was infested with monsters and everyone is
gone. She doubts that she herself has a reason to continue living, but
she is afraid of pain and dying. She wonders if it would be better to
go and see for certain if she is really the only person left.
Exiting the dressing room, Maria finds that she can only exit the club
by going past the bar. Someone has embedded a Chinese meat cleaver into
the countertop, and Maria decides to take it as a secondary weapon.
Leaving Heaven's Night, Maria crosses south on Carroll Street to
Rendell. It seems to be daytime, but everything is covered in a hazy
fog. The mists are quite a bit thicker than James ever experiences.
At the north end of Munson Street, Maria finds a partially open door.
The site is marked with heavy splatters of blood, as if something quite
nasty has just entered before her. Slipping through the doorway, Maria
finds herself in a quaint little patio area. After putting down a few
demons, she finds an anonymous dead body laying on the cobblestone. She
enters the house.
Inside the massive foyer of the dwelling, Maria finds all of the doors
locked except for the double doors leading into the living room. Here,
she finds a map of the mansion, titled "Baldwin House". There is a
fireplace in the room that has been sealed up with a metal plate, on
which is written the warning, "DO NOT USE FIREPLACE!"
Proceeding north and up a staircase, Maria tries to open a locked door.
Someone on the other side quickly pulls the door shut. Although
obviously startled, Maria knocks on the door and tries to talk to the
person anyway.
"Is somebody... there?" she calls out. No one answers. She decides to
try harder. "Open up," she says. "Hello?"
Finally, a male voice answers from the other side of the door. "Stop
it," he says. "You're disturbing me."
But Maria keeps trying anyway. "Whew, thank god," she says. "I finally
found somebody. Can you open the door?"
The reply is a firm no. "Buy why?" begs Maria. The man behind the door
sighs. "Is it really necessary for me to answer all your tedious
questions?"
"Yes!" Maria replies sarcastically.
"Oh, I didn't know that," whines the man. "I want to be alone. Other
people just irritate me."
Maria waits for a few moments, then tries being openly honest with the
defensive person. "I just want to see another human face," she says.
"Do you know what's happening in the this town? There's no one here...
just monsters."
There is a moment of silence. Then, from behind the door, "Yes, I
know." The voice changes tone, from sympathy to apathy. "But so what?"
he continues. "It has nothing to do with me. No one here means there's
no one to disturb me."
Maria becomes incredulous. Of all the luck, to be so lonely in such a
frightening place, and the only person she finds doesn't want her
around. She yells at the door, "You want to be alone in this insane
asylum?"
The man behind the door almost laughs. "Yes, exactly," he says. "But
how can you say that it is this town that is insane? Perhaps it is
we who are insane. Both of us... hopelessly insane. Are you satisfied?
Would you leave me alone?"
Maria is finally giving up, but she still has one question. "My name
is..." she thinks for a moment. For a brief instant, she is actually
trying hard to remember her name! "...Maria." she says finally, "What's
your name?"
There is a long moment of silence. Just when it seems that there will
be no answer, one finally arrives. "Ernest," says the voice behind the
door.
"Hemingway?" asks Maria, jokingly.
"Baldwin!" barks the man behind the door. He sounds rather tired now.
Maria starts moving away from the door. "Ernest... I'll be back."
Continuing to search the upper level of the north wing of the house,
Maria finds a white board that is punched through with square holes. On
the front is a design, like a small white vial. On the back is an
inscription:
"When the White Breath is found,
I shall dedicate this thing.
Oh Spirit of the Mist,
Grant us fortune eternal."
So it is obviously a ceremonial piece. Those who have played through
the main scenario will recognize the vial design on the front as the
White Chrism, a ceremonial item that James can find in a replay of his
part of the game.
Maria soon finds that all doors are locked to her, and she can only
return to the first floor. On the way downstairs, a loud clatter can
be heard from the Living Room. Upon arriving there, Maria finds that
the metal plate over the fireplace has fallen (or been ripped) off.
Upon examination of the fireplace, she finds a ladder going up the
chimney to another opening.
Climbing to the top, Maria finds herself in a pretty little floral
area, a secret garden that would be perfect for a child. But this place
is a shrine of sorrow it seems. At the rear is a small tombstone, and
on it is carefully engraved:
"Along with you died joy.
All that remains is despair and a
future of meaningless tomorrows.
But I will never give up.
One, to see your beautiful smile again.
One, to beg the blessing of the Gods.
I wait for that day.
When the boards cover all
All sadness too will be covered
But until my dreams return to reality
I will have to swallow all the pain."
There's a key firmly embedded in the stone beneath a square depression.
Lying around the garden, Maria also finds a black board which bears
the unmistakable design of the Obsidian Chalice. On the back is the
following engraving:
"When the Dark Grail is found,
I shall dedicate this thing.
You who deny Death,
Grant us fortune eternal."
There is also a red board lying beneath the gravestone. The design on
the front is that of a red book, and on the back is inscribed:
"When the Crimson Words are found,
I shall dedicate this thing.
Oh you Gods deep in slumber,
Grant us fortune eternal."
These three boards must be inserted into the tombstone so that the
solid parts overlap all the holes punched in the boards, and none of
the grave marker shows through. It's a relatively easy puzzle to solve,
and when Maria figures it out she receives the rather simple looking
Acacia Key. The key and the boards all have a greater significance in
the plot of SILENT HILL 2, which will be explained in the summary at
the end.
Maria uses the Acacia Key to unlock a door leading to the north wing
of the second story of the house. The second door along the corridor
opens into a little girl's room. Some matches are found on the night
stand beside the bed. When Maria examines other features of the room,
we are privy to her thoughts. On the wall behind the door is a calendar
from ten years ago. The month displayed is November. The significance
of this will realized later. Moving to the right, Maria examines a row
of stuffed animals on top of a small bureau. "Oh, is this a teddy
bear?" thinks Maria, "It's not very well-made, but it's sort of cute
anyway. I bet Laura would love it. She loves bears."
Quite suddenly, Maria interupts her own thoughts. "...'Laura'??" she
wonders. "Who the hell am I talking about...?"
For those of us who have played the regular scenario, there is no
mistaking whom Maria is talking about. Memories of Laura have drifted
into her mind, and she has caught herself remembering a person that she
has never known. This is yet another allusion to the fact that Maria
is a dark reflection of James Sunderland's dead wife, Mary. In this
prequel scenario, we are shown the first signs that Maria is slowly
regaining the memories of a dead woman, and learning her true purpose
in Silent Hill. But that's all still a few pages away....
Exiting the child's room, Maria continues along the corridor and finds
herself in an attic. As she mounts the steps, the sounds of frightened
voices in panic emanates from the room above. "...she fell out the
window!" someone screams. But when Maria reaches the top of the stairs,
she finds only a dark and empty storage room. Using the matches to
ignite a candle, Maria sheds some light on her surroundings and notices
something tucked under a nearby chair. It is a birthday card, drawn in
large crayon strokes and a child's handwriting. It reads,
"TO MY DEAREST DADDY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
FROM AMY BALDWIN"
Realizing that Ernest might want to have this, Maria heads back
downstairs. While descending, she thinks she hears a child's voice say
"Give it..." But another search of the attic proves that there is still
no one up there. When Maria turns the doorknob to leave, the ghostly
voice finishes:
"...to my daddy," it says.
Give it to my daddy. This is a clear indication that it's time to
confront Ernest face to face and find out what happened in this house.
But Maria finds that the door behind which the man was hiding is now
unlocked, and the room is empty save for a book on the coffee table. In
it, there is a decription of Acacia:
"Acacia
A genus of evergreen trees of the
mimosa tribe of the pea family.
Its tiny flowers are yellow or white
and grow in clusters. Common
varieties include the 'gum tree'.
The Acacia Tree is a potent symbol
in many religions across the World.
In Christianity it represents eternal
life and mortality.
In ancient Egypt it represented
purity and rebirth, while in ancient
Babylonia it was thought of as the
tree of the Goddess Ishtar and was
a symbol of Life.
It was also a holy tree to the
Ancient Jews who built the sacred
Ark of the Covenant from it and
for whom it signified a peaceful
death and a release from grief."
The pieces are all coming together now, but the analysis will wait
until the end. Meantime, Maria continues navigating through the massive
dismal house until she finds herself in a study. Alone on a table is a
certain volume wherein is described the following about cultism:
"Lost Memories
I have the strongest trust - you may
even call it faith - in the miracle
called 'Ressurection of the Dead'.
"Upon the hill where
the light descended,
the Beast intoned his song.
With words of blood,
drops of mist and
the vessel of night,
the grave become an open field.
The people wept in fear and joy
at the reunion, but my faith in the
salvation of Xuchilpaba did not waver.
"It is also spoken of in the ancient
legends. The original worshippers
did not believe that death was the
end but that it was simply the path
by which the deceased returned to
nature. They also believed the
process was reversible."
There is something scribbled at the bottom of the page. Maria wonders
if it is Ernest's writing:
"Blood = Red,
Mist = White,
Night = Black"
Obviously, Ernest is attempting to interpret the requirements needed
for the ritual of returning the dead to life. His notes indicate that
he is looking for a red book, a white liquid and black drinking cup.
Most of you veterans will recognize these ceremonial items from James'
scenario.
Maria tries the door in the study. Ernest has locked himself inside.
"Do you know a little girl named Amy?" Maria asks through the door.
Ernest sighs, troubled. "Why do you ask me that?"
Maria takes out the birthday card and reads it. "It's from a girl named
Amy Baldwin," she says. Then gently she asks, "You're 'DADDY'?"
Ernest sighs heavily again. "Yes," he mutters. "Where did you find
that?"
"Up in the attic," says Maria.
Ernest lets out a sorrowful groan. "What a fool...!" he curses from
behind the door. "Now... when it's too late, I finally understand why.
Why she was there...! Why she was holding that empty envelope when
she... when she fell...."
Maria steps back a little from the door. "Ernest, Amy... She isn't...?"
She's too afraid of being insensitive to finish her sentence. "I'm
sorry," says Maria, dropping the subject. "I'm sorry I reminded you."
Ernest starts to speak in his lightest tone yet. There is a new
vulnerability and a frailty that is unmistakable. "No need to
apologize," he says. "You didn't remind me. I've never forgotten...
"Maria," he continues, almost affectionately. "Some things we forget
and some things we can never forget... It's funny... I'm not sure which
one is sadder. It's been 10 years, but I still..."
Maria needs to break in. "Ernest... I'm sorry. I didn't know."
Ernest understands. "No, it's fine," he says. His tone becomes
stronger. "Maria, that letter..."
"I'll leave it here," Maria finishes. She crouches and slides the
birthday card under the door.
Ernest thanks her. After a brief pause, he suddenly gasps, "Maria? So
you must be...." After he breaks off momentarily, he resumes as if
thinking out loud to himself, "That's why! That's why you could see
me! So perhaps that means that I can hope for a miracle as well?"
Maria is naturally confused. "What do you mean?"
Ernest assumes a braver and more commanding tone. "In the apartment
building next door, there is a bottle containing a white liquid. I
don't know exactly where it is, but I know it's in there somewhere. I
must have it."
Maria doesn't understand the request. "Why don't you just get it
yourself?" she wonders.
Ernest sounds like he almost wants to giggle. "If I could, believe me
I would. But I..."
After a long moment, Maria doublechecks on the color. "White?" she
asks. It is also an agreement to go look for the stuff.
"I'll open the stairway door," says Ernest.
"Ernest, do you really believe it will work?" asks Maria.
"I don't know..." admits Ernest quietly.
But Maria just shrugs. "Well, that's okay. I don't mind fightin' for
an impossible cause. Anyway it beats just giving up and doing nothing."
Ernest thanks her fondly, and Maria leaves. Returning to a previous
corridor where she found that the door was locked, she now finds that
it has mysteriously opened. Maria follows the stairs down into an
underground passage. Another small marker bears witness to the tragedy
that was the death of Amy Baldwin. The roach-infested concrete tunnel
leads into a nearby deserted residence. Following the short corridor to
the exit, Maria emerges into another small courtyard. Graffitti on the
small house from which she has emerged reads "KEEP OUT OF HAUNTED
MANSION". Maybe there is some truth to those words...
Fighting her way across the patio, Maria enters the Blue Creek
Apartment building. Those who've been here before as James Sunderland
know that the map of the building is located on the upper landing. The
"white liquid" that Ernest desires is located in room 105. Maria finds
it on top of the locked covered desk. When Maria returns to the study
inside the Baldwin House, Ernest seems to know already that she found
what he is looking for, without emerging from his room.
"Thank you Maria," he says sincerely. "That's the only item I couldn't
get myself. By the time I found out about it, I could no longer leave
this house. (It's been) so long..."
Maria looks at the chrism full of white liquid, doubtful of its power.
"Yes, but will it-"
Ernest knows what she's thinking. "Maria, the Gods ARE here. You know
it too. You were born in this town."
Maria laughs. "I'm not sure 'God' is the right word." She sets the
white liquid on the table by the door.
"Do you believe in Fate?" Ernest asks her through the door. Maria
replies that she does not. "That's fine then," finishes Ernest.
Maria takes hold of the doorknob. "Ernest, can I open this?"
Ernest replies, "This is a dead end. There's nothing beyond here."
Maria releases the knob. "I know," she mutters weakly. After a long
thoughtful moment, she becomes curious. "So... What if I had said I
believed in Fate?"
She gets the answer that Ernest would have given her. His tone takes
on a menace that is too chilling to describe. "That James, he's a bad
man."
Maria is confused. "James...?" she wonders. But little by little, the
past of another woman returns to her. Slowly she remembers the wrongs
that were done to her in another life. Gradually, she remembers who
James is. "Y,yes... I know," she mutters.
"He's looking for the you that isn't you," continues Ernest from behind
the study door.
"Because he's kind," realizes Maria. She is remembering more and more
about James each moment, since her past-life memory was triggered by
Ernest. She decides to bring things into the light. "Do you... KNOW
something?"
She asks, and Ernest starts to tell her. But she interrupts him
immediately, raising her hands to defend herself from the truth.
"Anyway that's just what you think!" she says, raising her voice. It's
as if the spell is broken. "You don't really know anything," she says
through the door.
"That's fine," says Ernest calmly, "Okay."
After a long moment's hesitation, Maria seizes the doorknob and opens
the door to the room Ernest is in. She finds an empty room, where only
a small table stands. On the table is the birthday card from Amy,
delivered ten years too late. With great effect, the realization of
what has been going on hits Maria. After a moment of frustrated
consternation, she drops her head sadly.
In the final scene, Maria walks up the alley behind the apartment
building. She reaches a wall that is covered with a child's innocent
drawings. She looks at the revolver in her hand. Very slowly, she
brings up the gun and places it against her temple. She closes her
eyes. For a very long and sad moment, it really does seem that she is
going to end it all.
But then she open her eyes and lowers the gun. She doesn't look any
less saddened, but her countenance now also includes a kind of
bitterness. She turns and flings the revolver over the wall. After a
moment where Maria appears to be biting back tears, she continues up
the alley toward the pier overlooking Toluca Lake. It is the place
where she will meet Fate face to face. She mutters the name of the man
who holds her destiny, "James".
We hear the familiar lines of Maria and James, meeting for the first
time. Those first awkward moments where he mistook her for his dead
wife. As the credits roll, all of Maria's moments in James' story are
relived. Maria has finally found her purpose, and met Fate face to
face.
*ANALYSIS*
After reading the rest of this plot guide, especially the section about
Maria, I think that the XBox exclusive scenario should make all the
sense in the world. But anyway, here's your analysis:
Point 1: Maria is born.
According to Konami, Maria is brought into existence just shortly before
the scenario starts. They offer no explanation as to where the gun came
from. Maria was originally a demon that has been transformed by the
greater powers in Silent Hill into the woman that James Sunderland
desires. But at this early time just after her incarnation, she has no
memory of James and no knowledge of the cosmic purpose of her existence.
During this scenario, Silent Hill shows Maria who she is and her purpose
for living.
Point 2: Maria desperately needs to find another human being.
Now that Maria is a human with human feelings and desires, and not a
monster anymore, she wants to hang out with other people. We mortals are
an exclusive group. :) But the truth is that Silent Hill has instilled
Maria with a deep-seated desire to be with humans. In a way, it is a
supernatural infiltration tactic!
Point 3: The body outside the front door of the mansion.
I don't have a solid answer on this. My favorite theory is that this is
Ernest, dead at the hands of the demons for just a few hours.
Point 4: Ernest says that they are both insane.
Maybe and maybe not. Maybe everyone in the game in just insane,
including James, Eddie and Angela. It's not a far leap to make that
assumption. But to keep this analysis firmly grounded, let's say that
the supernatural is the central factor rather than insanity. With this
statement, Ernest is just messing with Maria's developing mind to some
degree. But he is also conveying that he may have his own delusions of
reality, but so does Maria. Maria's delusions will be stripped away at
the end of the scenario.
Point 5: The puzzle pieces represent the ceremonial items.
Following the tragedy where Ernest lost his daughter, he came across
some knowledge that Silent Hill is a place where the Old Gods still
lurk in the shadows. Through his research, Ernest determined that if he
were to obtain three items listed metaphorically in the descriptions of
rituals performed here long ago, then perhaps there would be a way to
bring his dead little girl back to life. But until he found the required
items, he needed a way to seal away his sorrows. He locked up the little
girl's wing of the mansion, and sealed the key in a gravestone he
erected in the secret garden. He fashioned the boards that unlocked this
puzzle in such a manner so that they were carved with the likenesses of
the items he sought for the ritual. As Ernest continued his research,
he managed to find the Crimson Ceremony and the Obsidian Goblet. But his
life ended before he obtained the White Chrism. This is why the Red
Board and the Black Board can be found right in front of the gravestone,
whereas the White Board, representing the White Chrism that Ernest had
yet to obtain, is found in another part of the house. The puzzle
represents Ernest's story. The three ceremonial items are the keys to
ending Ernest's sorrow. Thus, two of them are extremely easy to find,
whereas the White item is more elusive. Since Maria finds all three
boards and symbolically releases Ernest's sorrow, this is why he is more
open to speaking with her the next time they meet. Maria unknowingly
proves her worthiness by solving the puzzle, and so he knows that he can
ask her to go get the White Liquid.
Point 6: Maria remembers Laura
Well, only vaguely. As I pointed out above, if you search the child's
room on the second floor, Maria will share her thoughts about the dolls
on the shelf. She mentions that Laura would like them. But then she
realizes that her mind has wandered, and she has never even met the
person she is talking about. This is just a sign that gradually but
surely, Maria is learning her purpose. In order to be the perfect woman
for James, Silent Hill has imbued Maria with all of Mary's fondest
memories. They are just now starting to slip up to the surface. As a
result, Silent Hill has also imbued Maria with Mary's love of Laura. We
see this again in the main scenario when Maria tries desperately to
explain to James that she feels the need to protect the little girl,
but she doesn't know why.
Point 7: Ernest knows who Maria is
He realizes this when she brings him the Birthday Card. Her act of
kindness has caused him to consider her presence here more deeply. Let's
just keep things simple for the moment and say that although Ernest has
spent ten years in this house, he is very attuned to the plots and
machinations of the dark forces in Silent Hill. He has some sense that a
man named James Sunderland wishes that his wife Mary was alive again.
The meaning of the name Maria suddenly hits him. "That's why! That's why
you could see me!" he says. Please accept that this is something of a
translation error. From what Ken explained to me, it would be clearer if
Ernest had said, "That's why you could VISIT me!" Since Ernest is dead,
Maria is only able to speak to him in this house because she is also a
creature of the supernatural. Both of them are empowered by the evil of
Silent Hill. The appearance of Maria, in answer to the wishes of James
Sunderland, gives Ernest hope that he has been right all along about
being able to resurrect Amy. Even now that he is dead, Ernest still
wants to bring her back, so that at least she is in the same place he
is... even if they live together in Hell.
Point 8: Ernest knows who James is
This point continues from the point above, so go back and read it if you
skipped down for some reason. As I've been saying, Ernest is already
dead, and now inhabits his mansion only as a ghost. Because he has spent
ten years seeking out the objects of evil rituals, he has become attuned
to the dark forces of Silent Hill. That attunement is even stronger now
that he is part of the spirit world. So to find out who Maria is and the
fact that she was created solely to fulfill the wishes of James
Sunderland, all his spirit has to do is consult with the infinite know-
ledge base that obviously exists within the legions of demons. Since she
has not yet realized her true purpose, Maria is the naive and kindly
type of person that Mary Shepard-Sunderland used to be. Ernest knows
that he can ask Maria to do him a favor, and that she will most likely
do it for him. So when Maria is good enough to bring back what Ernest
most desires, Ernest tries to return the favor by stirring Maria's
memories of James... and what he did to her. Otherwise, Maria would
probably wander about town forever, a lonely soul that doesn't know why
she is here.
Point 9: The room that Ernest was in is empty
As I mentioned previously, Ernest has been dead this whole time. Because
his research was unfinished and his collection of ritual items
incomplete, Ernest's ghost continued to haunt the mansion after his
demise. Although confined to the house until his quest is completed by
some cooperative individual, he now has a direct connection to the
powers of evil dwelling in the town. Through this connection, he is able
to find out who Maria is, why they can have conversations, and what
Maria's connection to James is. Ernest wants what he wants, and Silent
Hill has its own desires. There's a bit of dark bargaining at work here.
Silent Hill allows Maria to easily go and obtain the white liquid that
Ernest wants. All he has to do in return is stir Maria's latent memories
of James, so that she will realize who she was/is, and what purpose
Silent Hill created her for.
Point 10: Maria almost kills herself
When she learns that Ernest is really a ghost, and that she is still
all alone in this town full of evil, Maria is understandably hurt. The
ghost has reawakened memories within her that she didn't want to deal
with. Silent Hill has used this situation to bash her over the head with
the true purpose of her existence. So now the question remains, does
she become the tool of evil, or does she blow her brains out and resign
her commission? This is what Maria's sub-scenario is all about. It's a
long way of depicting how Maria became such a conflicted villainess. But
the sub-scenario also reveals how Silent Hill works, in a way.
Q: Now that SILENT HILL 2 is out, don't you think you should rewrite
your plot guide for the first game?
A: What if I told you that you had to repeat the fourth grade? That's
exactly how I feel when people tell me this. But I'll let you in on a
little inside info that I probably shouldn't. When I was working on the
SH2 OSG, I was able to ask questions of Konami US and Konami JP staff
directly. I asked many plot questions regarding the game, and that is
how this document you are reading was formulated. I also tried to ask
questions about the first game. After writing a plot guide for it,
naturally I was curious to see how close my interpretation was. When I
asked questions about the first game, my queries were answered with
abstract, short statements such as "There is no relation between the
situation of the first game and the new game Silent Hill 2." Another
answer was "The focus is the game at hand, which is not similar to the
previous product." And sometimes, if I was extremely lucky, the
answer to my theory about the story of the first game was "That is an
accurate description." So my attempts to get solid info about the first
game's plot ran into some difficulties. I think most of this has to do
with translation, since my emails had a forwarding trail a mile long.
Also, Konami has obviously reworked the premise of the games and they
are trying not to look backward too much. So until I get some more
positive proof of what the original SILENT HILL is really all about, I
will leave that plot guide speculative as is.
----
Q: So when did Mary really die? Three years ago, or a week ago?
A: The answer is vague, I'm afraid. It is for certain that Mary didn't
die three years ago. James learns this from Laura near the end of the
game. In his subconscious attempts to block his crime out of his mind,
James has confused the facts a little bit. Konami pointed me toward the
taped conversation with the doctor. I realized that on the tape, the
doctor tells James that Mary might have only three years to live. So
this is how the "three years" time frame got stuck in James' mind. Since
Mary wishes Laura a Happy 8th in her letter, and Laura turned eight only
last week, this is meant as an indication to James that Mary didn't die
when he thought she did. The information leads him to believe that maybe
she didn't die at all. That is the new idea that this shift in the story
is supposed to ignite inside the player - the chilling thought that
maybe Mary is still alive and really is waiting for James in Room 312
upstairs....
----
Q: Harry Mason appears in the UFO ending. Is this the TRUE ending?
A: After the seriousness in which the rest of the game is presented,
this ending can hardly be perceived as anything but another joke ending.
Please stop trying to 'correct' my SH1 plot guide. That document
contains nothing but my views and speculations, and I've never presented
it as anything but exactly that. If you have your own views and
speculations about SH1, I encourage you to write an entire plot guide.
I wish more people would. The UFO ending is just Team Silent's way of
including an easter egg in a videogame, so that the value of the product
matches other popular games on the market. And it looks like there's
going to be one of these in every SILENT HILL game. So just enjoy it,
and stop thinking so much! =)
----
Q: What is the creature that can be heard moving on the floor above the
prison cells? What is it saying?
A: I don't have a answer for you. I can definitely tell you that it
is there to creep you out. It gives me chills every time I run through
those rows of cells! I've also heard that you can aim at it and shoot it
when it's in range, and even kill it. This is one of the last questions
I asked the testing squad over at Konami, and they had no true answer
either. They said that it is one of the Doormen monsters, programmed to
"speak" on idle. As to what it is saying, I have no idea and neither did
the Konami US folks.
----
Q: Why didn't you describe the DOG Ending? Please tell me what happens.
A: I could describe moment by moment what happens, but you wouldn't get
it at all. The DOG Ending is a joke ending, and it's a total sight gag.
So even if I went to the lengths of describing it, it wouldn't be funny.
It really is something that has to be seen in order for you to laugh at
it. When Ken Ogasawara described to me over the phone what happens in
the DOG Ending, he was totally cracking up. And although he described it
well, I just didn't get it. However, when I played the game and got the
DOG Ending myself, I started laughing so hard that tears were rolling
out of my eyes by the time those silly credits had finished. So that is
one aspect of the game that I am not capable of ruining, and I'm not
going to try.
----
Q: I saw the "In Water" Ending, but I don't remember James carrying Mary
out to the car. Also, I heard a car crash but didn't see anything. Is
there something wrong with my game?
A: There's nothing wrong, that's exactly what happens. My description of
it includes all that is implied by the dialogue, noises and the final
image underwater. That's as close as you can get to depicting a suicide
in a videogame released on a Sony game console. Otherwise, Sony would
never approve it for release on their system.
----
Q: Thank you for writing this guide.
A: You are all sincerely welcome. I do it for love of the game, and to
share that love with others. It's a self-serving need at heart, but I am
definitely glad that you got some benefit from reading my writing about
SILENT HILL 2. If there's any other games that you need help under-
standing, give me a holler. If I've played them, I'll tell you what I
think happened and what was lost in the translation. I do it on a lot of
games, I just don't write FAQs about it all the time. I had to interpret
the whole Final Fantasy movie for my family. C'est le vie.
----
Q: At Neely's Bar, what does the first graphiti on the wall mean?
A: "There was a HOLE here, but it's gone now." I didn't ask what this
meant. My interpretation is that someone else has noticed the shifting
realities in Silent Hill. For some other guilty traveler in town, the
alternate version of the bar has a pit in the room. So when James comes
back later and the whole town is pitch black, the player has the idea
to return to the bar to see if a hole has appeared. But instead, there
is a new and very threatening graphiti on the other wall. It's a way of
getting the player to search the Bar a second time to see if something
new has appeared. I think it might also refer to the kind of holes that
James encounters later. Each time he jumps into a pit, James is trans-
ported to some other reality or some other location. In this interp, the
graphiti is forshadowing the reality-bending nature of the holes in the
game.
----
Q: When is SILENT HILL 3 coming out?
A: Most of the folk at Konami can't even answer this question. The
announcement will be made if and when Immamura-san and staff have some
pretty and sick new screenshots to show us of a product in development.
I don't have any knowledge or any rumors of another game in the series,
and I probably won't know until you do. And even if I'm told in advance,
revealing information to the pubic before the developer wishes would be
a serious breach of trust and confidentiality agreements that I've
signed. So I probably wouldn't say even if I knew. Talk about slitting
your own throat.
----
Q: I'm confused. Was there a letter from Mary or not?
A: That is the question you are meant to ask. And there is no one answer,
you are encouraged to come up with your own. Did a supernatural force
bring James back to Silent Hill, or only his own guilty conscious? My
plot analysis would seem to indicate a little of both. The makers of the
game really want you to decide those kinds of things for yourself, in
searching for the truth to the mystery.
----
Q: What is the whispering in Room 209 that you mention in the OSG?
A: No clue. Hope you have some loud-ass speakers hooked up to your set,
cause you'll need them to hear that voice. Probably just gibberish, and
it's definitely just there to freak you out.
----
Q: If the monsters represent James' guilt, then why do they take on the
shapes that they do?
A: I originally intended to impart some information I received about
interpreting the monster designs. But the text I wrote just sort of fell
out of the flow of narrative, and so it didn't make it. Also, Konami's
descriptions just aren't very deep, some of them even cheapen the whole
game. So I didn't want to go that route. The appearances of Nurses and
Patients are easy to interpret, since Mary was sick in a hospital for a
while. But if you look at the final boss of the game, Maria's true form,
you realize that she is an amalgamation of all the enemies in the game!
All the regular enemies are deformed females, except for Pyramid Head.
And since Pyramid is decidedly male, he represents James as a murderer.
This explains all the scenes where Pyramid Head is killing other
monsters. It is a reenactment of James killing Mary!
----
Q: I think you missed something. That dead body in the chair in front
of the TV is James!
A: Nope, I didn't miss that. But when I talked to Konami about it and
what it might mean, Ken Ogasawara blew off any plot significance. He
says it's more likely that the team didn't want to model a whole new
character's head, and just used James' texture and then ripped out
the face to simulate the gun blast damage.
----
Q: Will you do a plot analysis like this for METAL GEAR SOLID?
A: As far as I'm concerned, METAL GEAR SOLID completely explains itself.
If you don't believe me, just sit through all those Codec conversations
and really listen. You'll realize that absolutely every plot element
that could possibly be discussed is already analyzed right there in the
game, with extreme overkill. If you don't have the patience to listen
to all the cinemas and codec talks, I can't help you there. If you want
help understanding METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SONS OF LIBERTY, then all I can
say is good luck. That plot has so many holes and cliches and
inconsistencies, I wouldn't touch it with a 40 foot pole! Not to mention
the fact that the whole game focuses on a purely cookie-cutter videogame
character who has no basis being in a Metal Gear. Ugh, don't get me
started...
----
Q: How did you become a writer for Bradygames? How do I get a job like
yours?
A: Develop a section of strategy guide sample. Write a character section
and a portion of a walkthrough for your favorite game, and submit it to
a publisher who specializes in strategy guide production. Attach it to
an email along with a general letter of query. In the query, tell the
publisher that you want to write strategy guides for the rest of your
natural life, and that you're willing to work like a slave 18 hours a
day and never spend any time with your wife except on rare holidays. If
you can accept all those sacrifices and write them in a query, then
you're well on your way. To find a publisher's address, buy one of their
books. The Library of Congress insists that publishers list their
address on the same page that all the legal information appears.
----
If your question didn't make it into the FAQ section this time, either
send it again or please reread the guide. The answer is probably in here
somewhere and you just overlooked it or forgot about it.
Special thanks to Ken Ogasawara and the rest of the team at KCET and
KCEA for providing most of the information that is provided in this plot
guide, as well as complete dialogue and text transcriptions. It really
is satisfying to write a plot guide that isn't all guesswork this time!
Special thanks to Akihiko Imamura, not only for his input here but for
striving to stretch and improve the scope and quality of the Silent Hill
series. Those of you who played the first game will definitely like the
improvements in the second!
Special thanks to David Waybright and Leigh Davis at Bradygames, for
choosing me to do the Silent Hill 2 Official Strategy Guide. After being
such a big fan of the first game, it was a true honor.
Thanks to everyone who read the plot guide I wrote for the first Silent
Hill game, and who visited my various Silent Hill websites over the
years. You can now visit me at http://www.dark-legacy.org/silent-hill
which is devoted to plot study of the Silent Hill games. There's also
some cool stuff I've developed to enhance your desktop. Special thanks
to Jonathan Chin, "Darkness", for hosting my homepage there.
Special thanks to my wife Laura, for being an extremely patient and
beautiful person. The final decision to go ahead and write this guide
was made with her encouragement.
If you have any questions or comments, email me at dbirlew@lvcm.com or
post a message for me at the Dark Legacy forums, using the URL above. If
I feel that your questions have not already been answered by this guide,
I will include them in an FAQ section in future updates. REQUESTS FOR
PUZZLE SOLUTIONS OR GAME STRATEGIES WILL BE IGNORED.
