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Much like the original version ofSilent Hill 2, you will enter into the Western section of South Vale after you’ve completed the Blue Creek Apartments. This section of South Vale is quite large, an open space more akin to the eastern section of South Vale you explored earlier.
In the remake, this area is massively expanded with plenty of optional areas for you to explore. It’s also where you’ll become more closely acquainted with some of the game’s central characters. Western South Vale has a lot to see and plenty of story will be unfolded, so take your time to make sure you don’t miss anything.
This article is written withNormal Puzzle Difficulty in mind, so keep note of that in case you are playing on Easy or Normal Puzzle Difficulty.
Finding Laura And Maria
Immediately after surviving against Pyramid Head in the Blue Creek Apartments, you exit the buildings to Western South Vale. You’ll have ared save point right ahead of youas you enter the area, so make sure to save your game straight away.
This is a linear street that leads to a cutscene featuring Laura, who you last saw stomping on your foot back in Woodside. Before you reach here though, break the windows of some of the nearby cars and search the surrounding corners to pick up aHealth Drink and two boxes of Handgun Ammo.
After Laura has run away from James once again, you’re able to continue forward until you enter the grounds of Rosewater Park. The next cutscene will be triggered on the very edge of the pier, so make sure to explore the park first. There are some statues with pieces of history around the park, as well as aHealth Syringe and a box of Handgun Ammo.
The next cutscene will introduce you to Maria, who looks and sounds just like his wife, Mary. How mysterious. After a brief conversation, Mary will say that sheknows exactly what’s a special place two young lovers might have found, and offers to bring you there.
There’s not too much else to be found in the park. AHealth Drink can be found in a toilet, while anotherbox of handgun ammo can be found on a chess table. feel free to examine some of the statues around, as well as the romantically-carved bench, and then exit the park into Western South Vale proper.
Exploring Western South Vale
Right after you’ve entered into this new section of Western South Vale, Maria will request you run through Jack’s Inn as it is the quickest (and only) way of reaching the ‘special place’ she mentioned. Of course,Western South Vale is one of the largest areas in the gamewith plenty to see and do, so feel free to explore at your own pace for now.
As you do explore Western South Vale,Maria will frequently comment on the things you are doing. It’s nice for Silent Hill to not be so, well, silent.
Jack’s Inn
Jack’s Inn is the one location here that you have to go to, and it is directly across the road from the Rosewater Park exit, to the south. While you might be tempted to go exploring first, cross over here so that you’re able to right in the middle of the inn.
By the very south of Jack’s Inn, there is alocked gate that needs to be openedbefore you may proceed with the story. The key to this is locked awayin the safe by the reception areaof Jack’s Inn. As you might expect, the code is hidden away somewhere else. A nearby note will tell you tosearch room 107.
This room is found upstairs and can be easily identified by the number on the door. Room 107 is locked though, so you’ll have to enter the room beside it instead. Pick up theHealth DrinkandHandgun Ammohere, and thenbreak the weak walland cross over into room 107. Here you will find another box ofHandgun Ammo, and a new note with a hint to unlock the safe in the reception area.
This note reads “One one less, three one more, eight three less, zero one more”. This is a graciously simple math question, with the resultinganswer being 0451. Watch Maria marvel over an suspiciously familiar outfit she found, and then return to the safe, pop in the code, andreceive the Gate Keythat will let you progress further.
In Hard Puzzle Difficulty, the note reads as follows: ‘feels like we’re stuck she says its gonna be fine but the math don’t lie the numbers are all there: ALL ROOMS need to be refurnished then we gotta MULTIPLY that by the cost of labor then there’s the plumbing in the ROOMS UPSTAIRS I swear, there are TIMES when I just wanna give up I’m not THIRTY THREE anymore if we can make it all ADD up, maybe there’s hope for the FIVE of us’.
The method here is 8 (all rooms) x 2 (rooms upstairs) x 33 + 5. This gives 533. The four x’s on the back of the note indicate it has four digits, so add a zero at the beginning. The code is 0533.
As soon as you pick up the key, aMannequin enemy will grab Maria. Quickly save her, and then explore the side room that it came from. Inside you will find aHealth Drink.
This also functions as a tutorial to let you know thatregular enemies can and will attack Maria, so make sure to stay close to her.
There isone final room you may explore in Jack’s Inn, on the ground floor. There’s nothing to be found inside, though James will remark that the room somehow feels more unsettling than any of the monsters outside. Beyond this, you are free to unlock the gate and continue onward. Make sure to explore the rest of Western South Vale first.
Finding The Car Jack
Instead of crossing the road to Jack’s Inn, you can insteadtravel to the east to a garage. One of the cars here has aHealth Drinkinside, though there’s not much else you can do here for now. All of the doors are locked, though you will noticea car jack missing its lever. You have to find this before you can get inside, and it is quite a distance away.
You’ll want tohead to Octantis Fuels way to the west. This is a gas station, though largely abandoned now. You’ll findthe car jack lever holding up a car in the back, though verify to explore the areas thoroughly first. You can find plenty ofHandgun Ammoaround the area, including some inside the cars. You’ll need it.
Once you retrieve the car jack lever, the car will slam down,alerting lots of monsters to your presence. You can run away if you want, though feel free to stand your ground if you feel capable and want to make Silent Hill a slightly safer place. Whether you run or fight, you can nowreturn to the garage by Jack’s Inn.
Use the lever on the jack to slightly lift up the garage doorenough for James to slip under. Maria will become unsettled when she is separated from James, so ensure tounlock the front and back doorsof the garage to leave her in.
Inside, you will find plenty of items as a reward. They are aHealth Syringe, a Health Drink, three boxes of Handgun Ammo, a newspaper with some Silent Hill lore, and anotherStrange Photo titled ‘Made It!’. You now have the entirety of the garage explored and can move on to new areas.
Exploring The Rest Of Western South Vale
While Jack’s Inn and finding the car jack lever make up the most involved tasks in Western South Vale,there is a variety of other tasksfor you to sink your teeth into as well.
By the western side of Jack’s Inn, you can find a car withHealth Syringein its back window, as well asa box ofHandgun Ammonear by. Be wary, as a Mannequin enemy is tucked into a corner near here ready to ambush you.
Just west of Octantis Fuels, you can continue on toBowl-O-Rama. There are no enemies to fight inside this building, so explore it at your own pace. There is ared save point in the backroomsof this building as well, so make sure to quickly save your game here in case anything goes wrong between here and your last save at Jack’s Inn.
These are the only two save points in this section of Western South Vale.
Bowl-O-Rama is surprisingly sparse considering its relevance to the original game, housing onlytwo boxes of Handgun Ammo and a Health Syringe. It’s primary purpose is to give you a safe place so far from Jack’s Inn. With this area explored, you’re able to again leave to explore the rest of Western South Vale.
Your next port of call is to the very western edge of this area, following the road quite a distance out until it comes to an abrupt end, collapsing into the murky fog below. While proceeding up this road,be wary of the many enemies that will be prowling it, primarily mannequins waiting to ambush you.
Mannequins do not activate the radio staticuntil they are actively pursuing you, so you need to always be wary of them.
At the very end of this path, you will finda note on a dead body as well as some Handgun Ammobeside it. After picking this up, double back around toSilent Hill Historical Society. This building will be locked, which Maria will comment upon.You cannot find the key for this building right now, so don’t worry about having missed any content. Enter into the car park beside the building and smash yet another car window to find moreHandgun Ammo.
With that, you havethe entirety of this section of Western South Vale explored, and can continue past the gate at Jack’s Inn now.
Any items you miss this time around you will have a chance to get again later whenyou revisit Western South Vale as part of the story.
Moving South To Heaven’s Night
Back at Jack’s Inn, proceed through the gate to continue on your merry way to Maria’s ‘special place’. There’s not too much optional content here, though make sure totake a brief detour to the Baldwin Mansionbefore going further on.
You canexamine the table here to note a smashed beer bottle, and can explore around the side to pick up some moreHandgun Ammo. Maria will refuse to enter, and will explain that it just unsettles her without elaborating any further.
This is in relation to the dedicated Maria campaign,Born From A Wish, from the original Silent Hill 2.
Slightly further on, you’re able to find a box ofHandgun Ammoresting on the porch of the second house on the north of Katz Street. Proceeding further past here will lock you out of this section of Western South Vale, so ensure you’ve done and seen everything before moving forward.
The Intense Fog
Once you step further down Katz Street, an intense fog will roll in like the one in Eastern South Vale earlier in the game. This time around,it’s much harder to avoid fighting the enemies, especially since you have to keep an eye on Maria, so it’s better to go slow and steady.
There’s a large amount of optional items here as well, though all of it isHandgun Ammo. This is great to replenish you during this section, or just to top up your reserves in general.
Right by the beginning, you will findsome ammo in the truck bed of a nearby car, and will then be faced with a multitude of choices on how to proceed onward.All choices eventually lead to a loose plank in a fencethat you and Maria must pass through, so go whichever direction you want.
Passing through an open garage (with a hidden Mannequin), you can findtwo boxes of Handgun Ammo. Another car on the opposite route will have someHandgun Ammoinside as well. In the back garden that leads to the loose fence plank, you will findanother box of Handgun Ammoon a table.
Once you have picked up all these boxes of ammo, feel free to continue through the fence with Maria. However,you’re able to never revisit this area in the game, even when you return to Western South Vale later, so make sure to pick up everything before you proceed.
Heaven’s Night
Once you’ve passed through the intense fog, you will appear by the back entrance to Heaven’s Night, a strip club. Don’t worry, this isn’t the special place Maria had in mind, just a quick detour. There’s not much in terms of exploration to do here, though you can find somehelpful items to restock your suppliesafter the combat section you just went through.
As you make your way to the center stage, you can find a Health Syringe, Health Drink, and two boxes of Handgun Ammo. There’s also anotherStrange Photo you can find here, labeled ‘Ready to kill it!’.
After Maria gives you an on-stage performance and some tantalizing conversations, you are free to leave Heaven’s Night. Take a quick look around first at some of the posters and other interactables first, including arather conspicuous nurse outfitlying in one of the booths.
Take a quick jaunt up on the stage yourself for Maria to remark thatshe would love for James to give her a dancein return since he’s up there.
With all of that out of the way, you can leave Heaven’s Night to proceed on to the special place that Maria mentioned all the way back in Rosewater Park.Save your game before you leave, and then head out. Partway toward Revere Theater, you can find a box ofHandgun Ammolying on the ground.
Moonlight Grove And Revere Theater
Finally, after all this time, you have ended up in Moonlight Grove, a small garden in the middle of South Vale.There’s nothing special for you to do here, so listen in peace to the story Maria tells you of the woman who so longed to see her beloved man. A bit on the nose, eh?
The quiet is interrupted by the scream of a familiar child in the direction of Revere Theater. Proceed out of Moonlight Grove,entering the theater through an open window. Maria will remain outside for this section.
Once you enter, you will hear Eddie and Laura talking to each other. Take your time listening to them because their conversation will grind to a halt as soon as you push the shelf out of your way to exit the room you’re currently in. Before exiting the room, pick up theHandgun Ammoon the table.
After you exit the room, give the theater a quick cursory examination. You can’t explore too much at the moment, though you can findtwo boxes of Handgun Ammoin the toilets.
With your exploration out of the way, go into the room with Laura and Eddie to find that Laura has already left and Eddie is in a considerably ruder mood than when he last met James in the Woodside Apartments. Refusing to help find Laura,James continues on by himself.
There’s not much to pick up along the way here nor any enemies to fight. Weave your way through the theater until you end up in the lobby again, where Laura will outpace you and run out, avoiding Maria’s grasp as well. At this point, you will have to put your search for Mary on hold andensure Laura’s safety instead.
To Brookhaven Hospital
With finding Laura as your new objective, you enter intothe final section of Western South Vale. There’s not a whole bunch to do in this section, though make sure to give it a thorough once-over topick up some ammo and healing items.
You’ll first want torun to the northern tip of Carroll Street, to break open a car window to retrieve theHandgun Ammoinside. Across from this will also be a set of stairs you can ascend to a door. Though you can’t enter the building, you caninteract with the door to trigger a Glimpse of the Past. This might come in handy later, so attempt to view it sooner rather than later.
Just south of Revere Theater by the western end of Katz Street, you can pick up someHandgun Ammofrom a sofa. Proceed further south down Carroll Street to find even moreHandgun Ammoresting in a pool of blood.
The last items you can find are in the Brookhaven Hospital parking lot. A box ofHandgun Ammocan be found beside the garbage, while a Health Drink can be found by smashing the window of a parked ambulance. With all of that out of the way, feel free toproceed into Brookhaven Hospitalfor the next stage of James' quest to find Mary.
