Silent Hill 2 Gallows puzzle solution

The Gallows puzzle is one of the hardest to solve in Silent Hill 2, as you first need to match two verses of six stories, then decide which story is about somebody who committed a justified crime.

While you can guess multiple times if the wrong rope is pulled, you're sent down into a room of enemies and have to climb up a ladder to get back to the Gallows. So to save resources and time, we've got an explainer on how to work out the Gallows puzzle solution in Silent Hill 2 below - but as the stories are randomised across playthroughs, the correct answer is ultimately up to your judgement.

Please note, this is a guide for the remake of Silent Hill 2, so the puzzle solution might not be correct if you're playing the original version.

Silent Hill 2 Gallows puzzle solution

You need to match the correct two verses together for six separate stories, and then pull the rope corresponding to the story of somebody who committed a justified crime. You'll know that you've matched two verses correctly when you can't move the second verse around anymore.

For example, in our first 'Standard' playthrough, we pulled on the 'VI' rope, as this was the story of the justified criminal:

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, he was less man than beast,
And on my flesh and soul he'd feast,
My will to live he'd try to break,
There is so much a man can take.

Then in our second playthrough on 'Hard' puzzle difficulty, we pulled the 'III' rope, as this was the story of the justified criminal:

In shroud of twilight, a tale doth unfold,
Where the shadows dance, their secrets are told.
A shadowy figure, his motives unclear,
Steals his own kin, one he should hold dear.

A cruel twist of fate, an outcome unsought,
The little one perishes, it was all for naught.
The kidnapper's tears his motives reveal,
From a monstrous mother the child he did steal.

We can't give you an exact answer of what rope to pull in your playthrough, as the stories are randomised each time. We just know that there is always one correct answer. So once you've matched up all the verses, the justified criminal should hopefully be clear to see!