One of the more terrifying areas of the Silent Hill 2 remake, Toluca Prison, gets scarier and scarier as you dive deeper into it. As you wrap up your time in the area, you’ll be expected to quite literally dive into the abyss as you solve the final puzzle here: the Toluca Prison Hangman puzzle.
This particular puzzle involves matching up poems with another, determining who the ‘justified’ sinner is, and lastly, having James select a noose to… well… progress. Let’s leave it at that. So without further ado, here’s how to solve the Toluca Prison Hangman puzzle in the Silent Hill 2 remake.
Silent Hill 2 Toluca Prison Hangman puzzle solution
Throughout the Toluca Prison in the Silent Hill 2 remake, you will be tasked with various puzzles that bag you various weights. These can then be placed on the scales in the Yard to open up doors, and thus new sections, around the prison.
If you haven’t done that already, take a look at our Toluca Prison guide which will walk you through it.
After having visited the four different sections of the prison and collecting all the weights, you need to position the weights on the scales in the Yard so that the scales’ arrow aligns with the sword symbol in the center.
Place the Lightest, Medium/Bloodstained, and Heaviest weights on the right-hand scale. Place the other weights on the left-hand scale, and you will be given the Execution Lever.
Next, take the Execution Lever over to the execution area and use it. This will then reveal six poems within the stone statue here, written by different people accused of crimes.
At the top of the statue, a poem reads:
Pull ye but once on a rope’s frayed end.
Choose the one justified from among the damned.
Seek out their tales, think upon each sin,
Or let blind fate choose. Let the judgement begin.
Your next job is to pair their poems with the six unplaced poems beneath the statue, revealing in full what each prisoner had done. Then, you’ll need to decide which of the six sinners is ‘justified’ in their crimes.
On Standard puzzle difficulty, the poems — and the ones you need to match them with — are noted just below. Though, if you follow their rhyming patterns and look at their contents, they aren’t too difficult to match up.
On different puzzle difficulties, the poems below will differ, but the way in which you pair them with one another is the exact same.
1. For your grace I do not plead,
For the flames I did set free,
Sisters shrieked and children cried,
No one made it out alive.
I watched them burn, I heard them cry,
I felt a soothing warmth inside,
It felt so good, I cannot lie,
And for my bliss, they had to die.
2. The wealth of others I did take,
The seventh statute I did break,
And yet my deeds I don’t regret,
I had my reasons, that is that.
The reason, if I have to say,
Was to survive another day,
To them, it was a loaf of bread,
To me, a cherished step ahead.
3. I took the child, you are quite right,
Carried her off into the night,
She did not scream, she did not bawl,
I was her father, after all.
Forgive me, child, for I have failed,
To save you from her wretched ways,
She whom I loved, who gave you life,
A monster hiding in plain sight.
4. Once the sun has ceased its reign,
I cut through the rusty chain,
Pushed the door and snuck within,
Filled my pockets to the brim.
I departed with great haste,
Leaving not a single trace,
Ever faithful to my creed,
All is right which feeds my greed.
5. Mommy dearest, mommy sweet,
Your love for me was so deep,
“Why, oh, why?”, you shouted out,
When my knife pierced through your heart.
You were, oh, so kind to me,
Filled my heart with joy and glee,
In the end, it was for naught,
“Why, oh, why?”, you ask. Why not?
6. I waited long, I bid my time,
I waited to commit my crime,
The man appeared, he saw me not,
A bloody end is what he got.
In truth, I did not hesitate,
As my blade sealed the poor man’s fate,
He knew the rules, they are quite clear,
Go against me, your end is near.
Who is the ‘justified sinner’ in Silent Hill 2?
After matching up the poems with one another, decide who you think is ‘justified’ in their actions and interact with their associated noose. This is determined by the Roman numeral shown beside their poem; there will be six nooses labeled with Roman numerals in this area.
Now, the interesting thing about the Toluca Prison Hangman puzzle is that your answer here can vary between different runs of the game.
For example, on Standard difficulty, the solution for my first run was Noose #2, where the sinner had only stolen some bread in an attempt to stop themselves from starving. Though, others have reported that their ‘justified’ sinner was different, so this is one solution you’ll have to carefully come to yourself.
Other examples of correct answers have been variations of the fifth poem, in which a child kills their mother in defense from their abuse, but there are more to look out for. It appears as though the poems can be presented in different orders, too, so pay attention to the Roman numerals shown beside them.
Ultimately, if you interact with the incorrect noose, you’ll be dropped down into a room of enemies which you can climb out of to reach the Yard and try again. So, don’t worry if you don’t get this right the first time or aren’t entirely sure of your answer.
After interacting with the correct noose, you’ll slowly but surely be making your way into the Labyrinth. Good luck!
For more on Silent Hill 2, take a look at our Silent Hill 2 walkthrough, our endings guide, and our spoiler-free review.