Gallows Puzzle (Prison)

On this page, you will find the complete solution to the Toluca Prison gallows puzzle in Silent Hill 2 Remake (2024) on all difficulty levels (light, standard, hard).

Once you've collected all five weights and solved the final scales riddle in the prison yard by balancing them out, you receive the Execution Lever from the statue. Insert the lever before the gallows monument in the same yard to unlock the puzzle. This is one of the most challenging puzzles in the game, as the solution is always random, so here's how to solve it.

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Contents

Introduction

The gallows are located in a U-shape, with three on the left and three on the right – each labeled with a Roman numeral at the top.

  Poems   
I   IV
II   V
III   VI

In the center, you have a stone monument with the beginning of six poems on metal plates labeled with the same Roman numerals. These are the six committed persons, and the poems are written from their perspectives:

I Arsonist   IV Burglar
II Thief V Mother's Killer
III Kidnapper VI Murderer

At the bottom are the second halves of the poem plates that you need to match with the initial stanzas. The beginnings of the poems will be the same for each difficulty level, yet the second half will be random for each person with either guilty or innocent variant. Pair the endings with the beginning by placing the plate halves on the monument. Once you match all poems correctly, you won't be able to interact with them and can proceed to the gallows.

Finally, at the top of the monument, there's a statement:

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.

This says it all. You must find the person who committed the crime, but their cause was justified and forced. Note that in all difficulties, two suitable persons can be deemed "innocent." The choice will also affect the ending – read more about it in the Endings section. Once you determine the innocent persons, go to the gallow with the corresponding number and pull the noose to proceed with the game and escape the prison.

If you pull the wrong noose, James is dropped into a monster-filled underground chamber beneath the yard. You will have to escape the room, return to the yard via a ladder on the other end, and have another try with the gallows. Note that there are also some supplies in the same chamber.

Note: You don't have to match and place every poem on the monument. Once you find the second half that matches the innocent variant, you can proceed and pull the corresponding noose and continue with the game.

Light

The poems are short and straightforward on light riddle difficulty. Every poem has two possible random ending variants: innocent and guilty. There will always be two innocent persons, so you must choose one of them to proceed.

I Arsonist
 

Hallowed was the place,
This one set ablaze.
 Innocent 

T'was the home of evil,
It had to be razed.
 Guilty 

Stood and watched the fire,
With a lustful gaze.

II Thief
 

This one took from others,
T'was a sinful deed.
 Innocent 

Stealing to survive,
His hunger he would feed.

 Guilty 

Stealing not to eat,
But to feed his own greed.
III Kidnapper
 

This one, he did kidnap,
His beloved daughter.
 Innocent 

Did it just to save her,
From her wicked mother.
 Guilty 

In a fit of anger,
Bloody end he brought her.
IV Burglar
 

This one broke the lock,
To steal, I'll tell you plain.
 Innocent 

And steal he did a remedy,
To relieve the pain.
 Guilty 

One more place to plunder,
One more wrongful gain.
V Mother's Killer
 

This one dared,
To take his own mother's life.
 Innocent 

A monster's life,
It was ended with a knife.
 Guilty 

Did it just for pleasure,
Not over a strife.
VI Murderer
 

This one clenched his fist,
And has pulled no punch.
 Innocent 

Turned against his bully,
Turned his brain to mulch.
 Guilty 

Preying on one's weakness,
Made the man's bones crunch.

Here's an example of the right solution for the light riddle difficulty:

As you can see, the two innocent variants here are II Thief (Stealing to survive...) and III Kidnapper (Did it just to save her...). You can pick either the second or the third noose to proceed in this case.

Standard

On standard riddle difficulty, the poems are longer and more challenging to interpret. Every poem has two possible random ending variants: innocent and guilty. There will always be two innocent persons, so you must choose one of them to proceed.

I Arsonist
 

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.
 Innocent 

Though the young ones deaths I mourn,
Their tormentors are no more,
On young souls the nuns did prey,
Took their innocence away.
 Guilty 

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.
II Thief
 

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.
 Innocent 

The reason is, I have to say,
Was to survive another day,
To them, it was a loaf of bread,
To me, a cherished step ahead.
 Guilty 

What were those reasons you might ask,
The truth allow me to unmask,
I see, I crave, I need, I take,
'Tis all the sense it needs to make.
III Kidnapper
 

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.
 Innocent 

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.
 Guilty 

My only daughter, joy of days,
They wanted to take you away,
Hush, little baby, and be still,
If I can't have you, no one will.
IV Burglar
 

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.
 Innocent 

So my guilt is plain to see,
I had robbed the pharmacy,
Yet, I did so not for gain,
But so I could ease the pain.
 Guilty 

I departed with great haste,
Leaving not a single trace,
Ever faithful to my creed,
All is right which feeds my greed.
V Mother's Killer
 

Mommy dearest, Mommy sweet,
Your love for me was so deep,
"Why, oh why?" you shouted out,
When my knife pierced your heart.
 Innocent 

You broke my legs, I couldn't walk,
You pulled my teeth, I couldn't talk,
You fed me pills to slow my mind,
I took your life 'fore you took mine.
 Guilty 

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?
VI Murderer
 

I waited long, I bid my time,
I waited to commit my crime,
The man appeared, he saw me naught,
A bloody end is what he got.
 Innocent 

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.
 Guilty 

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.

Here's an example of the right solution for the standard riddle difficulty:

As you can see, the two innocent variants here are III Kidnapper (Forgive me, child, for I have failed...) and V Mother's Killer (You broke my legs, I couldn't walk...). You can pick either the third or the fifth noose to proceed in this case.

Hard

On hard riddle difficulty, the poems are the most complicated and metaphorical. Every poem again has two possible random ending variants — one innocent and one guilty. There will always be two innocent persons, so you must choose one of them to proceed.

I Arsonist
 

Under veil of nightfall, in the ink of dusk,
A blazing inferno engulfs the wooden husk.
Screams of the innocent fill the night sky,
He, who hell let loose, now watches them die.
 Innocent 

Death of the blameless, a damnable sin,
Wracked with guilt, his soul withers from within,
Yet among the pure, the vile would also dwell.
Demons dress in piety, they perished as well.
 Guilty 

A contorted chill dances on his spine,
As their souls fly forth on Thanathos' sigh.
No sign of regret, not a tinge of guilt,
But a fiery urge to destroy what God built.
II Thief
 

In twilight's grasp, a thief emerges sly,
Through the veils of night, his purpose veiled, awry.
His nimble fingers, like whispers they glide,
In the goods of others, his needs doth reside.
 Innocent 

With hands atremble, he seizes what he must,
A wretched dance, fueled by hunger's thrust.
Poverty's embrace fuels his misdeeds,
Thieving to survive, the barest of needs.
 Guilty 

His avarice driving every cunning theft,
No conscience stirs, no remorse is left.
Not a hunger's pang, nor a desperate need,
But a heart consumed with relentless greed.
III Kidnapper
 

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.
 Innocent 

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.
 Guilty 

A tragic fruition, a mother's despair,
Her heiress undone by the one she once loved,
Forsooth, it was not love that guided his clasp,
But a spiteful avarice one struggles to grasp.
IV Burglar
 

In clandestine steps, darkness as his guide,
The man ventures deeper, where riches doth hide.
An unseen intruder with motives untold,
His hands eager to touch, to grab and to hold.
 Innocent 

Amidst the moon's glow, a desperate truth,
The man's life of pain and in peril, forsooth.
Sealed within these walls, his salvation lies,
Steal and live on, the ultimate prize.
 Guilty 

Beneath moonlit guise, a villain's design,
He trespasses where treasures brightly shine.
With a selfish hand, with greed as his creed,
Claims the spoils, indulging every single need.
V Mother's Killer
 

With her senses failing, she looks, mouth agape,
At the one who forced her spirit to escape.
Cold steel pierces vein, a sanguine flood,
Gazing back at her, her own flesh and blood.
 Innocent 

'Twas a twisted fate that forced the man's hand,
A son at mother's mercy, his life in hell he'd spend.
Forsooth, not all killings are ones of ill will,
For the choice was clear, 'twas either her, or him.
 Guilty 

As the spark of life from her eyes did flee,
The man held his gaze with wicked glee,
An unfeeling sigh the man's lips doth escape,
A thirst for more bloodshed begins to take shape.
VI Murderer
 

In shadows cast, the hunter lies in wait,
His violent intent cloaked in a veil of fate.
An enigma unfolds, motives undefined,
As the prey approaches, their fates intertwine.
 Innocent 

Desperation's grip suffocates the air,
The attacker's past, a tale of despair.
A victim turned assailant, a tragic decree,
On this night of judgment, pain sets both men free.
 Guilty 

The victim's eyes wide with terror and fright,
The attacker's nature now comes into light.
Vicious is his cause and marred with dark pride,
A show of brute strength, for all to abide.

Here's an example of the right solution for the hard riddle difficulty:

As you can see, the two innocent variants here are I Arsonist (Death of the blameless, a damnable sin...) and V Mother's Killer ('Twas a twisted fate that forced the man's hand...). You can pick either the first or the fifth noose to proceed in this case.