The Silent Hill 2 remake has plenty of puzzles for you to wrack your brain over, and the Vanity Mirror puzzle and suitcase code found in Lake View Hotel are no different. This puzzle is comprised of multiple parts that will ultimately reveal the suitcase code to you, and ultimately allow you to explore even more of the haunting hotel.
You’ll also be expected to get a little bit crafty with this puzzle, with our solution having us combine a few different items, so without further ado, here’s how to solve the Vanity Mirror puzzle and get the suitcase code in the Silent Hill 2 remake.
Silent Hill 2 Vanity Mirror puzzle and suitcase code
After solving the Reading Room bookshelf puzzle in Silent Hill 2’s Lake View Hotel, a secret room is revealed. Inside, you will find the Vanity Mirror puzzle and a locked suitcase, as well as three photographs scattered around the room.
These photographs give us a small clue as to where we need to investigate if we want to solve this puzzle.
On Light and Standard puzzle difficulty, the photographs show the following:
- A gate in the hotel’s garden.
- A photograph of the exterior of Room 217.
- A photograph of the exterior of Room 318, which is coated in red stains of some sort.
On Hard puzzle difficulty, the photographs show the following instead:
- The handle of the hotel’s garden gate, which is chained.
- The bottom of a doorway which is coated in red stains of some sort.
- A light above the door of one of the hotel rooms.
These three photographs point out three different places we need to investigate, and in each of them, we will find an item needed to ultimately solve this puzzle.
First things first, pay a visit to the Utility Room on 3F. Here, you can collect the Bolt Cutters. Use these on the chained gate in the garden to reach a fish statue, where you can retrieve a lightbulb from its mouth. That’s our first clue quickly dealt with!
Up next, check out Room 217. As you enter the room and approach the balcony, there’ll be a loud crash and the skylight outside — which is above the Lake Shore Restaurant — will have been smashed.
On Standard and Hard puzzle difficulty, there will be a book on top of a semi-broken skylight; shoot it and the book will land in the restaurant. On Light puzzle difficulty, the book will have automatically landed in the restaurant.
Go to the restaurant and interact with the book to receive the Can Opener. We’re getting somewhere!
For our third and final clue, we need to visit Room 318. This room is not accessible until you have unlocked the fireplace in the Conference Room on 3F, however.
To do this, retrieve the Room 107 Key from the fireplace and visit the room. In the gazebo of the garden outside, you can retrieve the Fireplace Key. Use this to unlock the fireplace and enjoy what unfolds next…
After the cutscene and dealing with what comes after it, you can then access Room 318. Inside the room, collect the Red Paint Can. This is the last item we need to solve the Vanity Mirror puzzle, so return back to the Reading Room.
How to solve the Vanity Mirror puzzle in the Silent Hill 2 remake
Once back in the room with the Vanity Mirror, it’s time for us to make an improvisational blacklight. Combine the Red Paint Can with the Can Opener to open it, and then combine the Red Paint Can with the Light Bulb.
Place the Light Bulb atop the Vanity Mirror, and the code for the locked suitcase will be revealed to you in red paint on the mirror.
Silent Hill 2 remake suitcase code
Depending on your puzzle difficulty, the code shown to you will differ. The suitcase code you will end up with is as follows:
- Light puzzle difficulty: DARK WISH
- Standard puzzle difficulty: DEED DONE
- Hard puzzle difficulty: LOVE LUST
Input this code on the suitcase to then receive the Employee Elevator Key. Head there next and prepare for a visit to the hotel’s Employee Section.
For more on Silent Hill 2, take a look at our Silent Hill 2 walkthrough, our endings guide, and our spoiler-free review of the remake.