The Lakeview Hotel in Silent Hill 2 Remake is the key location for the game’s climax. It is a haven of lost memories and unresolved pain as James searches for the truth about his wife, Mary.
Throughout the Lakeview Hotel, players will encounter a range of challenging puzzles. This article will help you get through the puzzles and understand everything in the hotel.
How to Complete the Lakeview Hotel Section in Silent Hill 2 Remake
After crossing Toluca Lake in the rowboat, you’ll find yourself at the Lakeview Hotel dock.
The atmosphere feels deceptively serene compared to other parts of Silent Hill. Once you reach the hotel’s pier, you can take a moment to explore the grounds, but there’s not much to find aside from a rotten apple on a bench and a locked gate labeled “closed for maintenance.”
This apple will be relevant later. Start by grabbing the Lakeview Hotel Garden Map from a bulletin board near the entrance. Spending plenty of time here means having the map, which is key to finding your way. The hotel has an ominous feel from the get-go, but it’s largely abandoned for now.
The main goal is to reach Room 312, but there are puzzles and areas to unlock before that. Head to the Reception Area to pick up Room 312 and Ornamental Keys.
The Ornamental Key unlocks a Music Box in the lobby, though solving the puzzle requires finding three figurines scattered throughout the hotel. The first major encounter is with Laura in the Lake Shore Restaurant.
After the cutscene, explore Café Toluca, where you’ll find a health drink and the Room 102 Key behind the bar. There’s also an eroded wall that leads to the Lost and Found section, where you’ll uncover some handgun ammo and a cryptic note.
Take the Room 102 Key and go to the hotel rooms on the first floor (1F). Room 102 contains useful supplies like rifle rounds and health items. This is a good pitstop if you’re running low.
Room 104 also contains a strange photo. Room 106, accessible via the balcony, contains more supplies. The key item here is the Sunrise Wing Key found in the Utility Room, which unlocks new areas on the second floor.
Solve the Bookshelf Puzzle and Unlock the Suitcase
Proceed to the second floor and use the Sunrise Wing Key to unlock the east wing.
Inside, you’ll solve a bookshelf puzzle by arranging four books in the right order to match a painting on the opposite wall. The order of the books depends on the difficulty:
- Light difficulty - The order is Wings, Bull, Lion, Eagle
- Standard difficulty - The order is Wings, Eagle, Bull, Lion
Once solved, a secret room opens, revealing three photos and a broken lightbulb. You can use them after obtaining the Red Paint Can (found in Room 318) and the Can Opener (found in the Lake Shore Restaurant after shooting the skylight in Room 217).
Combine the Can Opener with the Red Paint Can and then combine it with the broken lightbulb to create a Red Light Bulb. Return to the Reading Room and install the Red Light Bulb into the vanity mirror to reveal a code for the suitcase:
- Light Difficulty - The code is
DARK WISH - Standard Difficulty - The code is
DEED DONE
Once the suitcase is unlocked, you’ll receive the Employee Elevator Key.
Exploring the Employee Section
It’s now time to explore the Employee Section.
You can access this area using the Employee Elevator Key, but be aware that the elevator has a strict weight limit.
James must deposit all his items except personal belongings into a locker. Once you head down to the Employee Section, avoid enemies patrolling the halls and grab the Employee Section Map to help with navigation.
In the Manager’s Office, you’ll encounter a Gem Box Puzzle that requires three colored gems to unlock a code. Here’s where to find the gems:
- The green gem is found on a kitchen counter in the Employee Section. It should be placed in the top-left slot of the Gem Box.
- The red gem is in a box on a dresser in the Manager’s Bedroom. It should be placed in the top-right slot of the Gem Box.
- The blue gem is found inside the freezer in the Freezer Room. It should be placed in the bottom-left slot of the Gem Box.
The combination reveals the code 7-4-1-4, which unlocks a safe containing James’s videotape and the Basement Key. Head downstairs to the basement and use a Pump Valve to turn off a burst pipe in the Boiler Room.
Retrieve the Venus Tears Bar Key and collect your items from the Employee Section locker.
Collecting the Figurines
Now that you’ve explored the Employee Section and gathered the key items, it’s time to collect the figurines for the Music Box Puzzle in the lobby:
- Snow White Figurine - Go to Room 202, where you’ll encounter a broken mirror and a cryptic message. The clue hints that you need to use the rotten apple you found earlier. Place the apple on a table, then collect a mirror shard from the bedroom. Use the shard to repair the broken mirror. Once done, the Snow White Figurine will appear in Room 201.
- Cinderella Figurine - To retrieve this figurine, you’ll first need the Fireplace Key located in the garden. You can access this area using the bolt cutters to open the chained gate you saw earlier. After obtaining the Fireplace Key, open the fireplace and find the Cinderella Figurine inside the Conference Room on the third floor. However, this action triggers a boss fight with a Mandarin monster. This creature hangs from the ceiling and attacks with its tentacles. Use your shotgun to shoot it down and finish it off once it falls.
- Little Mermaid Figurine - The final figurine is in the hotel’s basement. After unlocking the Venus Tears Bar, the fish tank explodes, revealing the Little Mermaid Figurine.
Once you have all three figurines, head back to the Music Box in the lobby. Place the figurines in their correct positions:
- Snow White goes on the left
- Cinderella on the right
- Little Mermaid in the back
You will then need to complete the key-turning mechanism based on your difficulty level:
- Light Difficulty - Turn the keys 7, 2, and 1 times.
- Standard Difficulty - Turn the keys 7, 5, and 1 times.
Once the puzzle is complete, you’ll be rewarded with the 3F Hallway Key.
Now that you also have the 3F Hallway Key unlock the third-floor hallway and enter Room 312. This is where James will finally watch the videotape, revealing the truth about his past and why he is in Silent Hill.
What happens next will depend on your actions throughout the game, as this is where different endings can be triggered.