Silent Hill 2 Remake's Two New Endings Explained (In Detail) (2025)

Likely the single biggest story change in the Silent Hill 2 remake is the addition of two new endings: Stillness and Bliss. The original Silent Hill 2 had four main endings that were achievable on a first playthrough. These represent different outcomes for its protagonist, James Sunderland, based on the player's treatment of Maria, their attitude towards Mary, and their apparent desire to live. It also includes two joke endings: the now-infamous Dog ending from the original release of the game, and the UFO ending introduced in later re-releases.

[Warning: This aritcle contains spoilers for both of Silent Hill 2's new endings.]

The Silent Hill 2 remake's new endings, however, are a different beast. Though they bear some similarities to recurring endings from the base game, they're different in their own right, bringing new perspectives to the world of Silent Hill.

Silent Hill 2's Stillness Ending Explained

The In Water Ending, Reimagined

Silent Hill 2's new Stillness ending is, in effect, an expansion of the original game's In Water ending. This is the game's most traditional "bad ending," in which James is so completely consumed by his grief and his guilt over Mary's death that he drives his car into Toluca Lake, drowning himself. This ending starts in much the same way: James sits in his car as rain pounds on the window, staring outside with a vacant expression. He repeats statements of regret and sorrow to himself (or more accurately, to Mary's body, which is implied to be sitting in the backseat).

This time, however, Mary's hand reaches up from the back, stroking James' cheek. She whispers calming platitudes in his ear, but James wavers. Finally, he asks, "Will you wait for me?" to which Mary replies, "I was always waiting for you." James looks one final time at Mary's letter, lying in its envelope on the passenger seat, before looking ahead in determination. The scene then cuts to black, and the unmistakable sounds of an engine starting, tires screeching, and finally, a sharp plunge into water can be heard.

This ending can be interpreted variously, but one thing's for certain: it inevitably ends with James' death at his own hands, based on his inability to accept Maria's death and his own role in it. This version of the bad ending has an extra twist, though. James receives Mary's forgiveness directly, instead of simply by reading her letter at the end of the game. Although they're not quite as eloquently or evocatively phrased, Mary's soothing words in this scene should serve the same purpose as her letter, allowing James to accept his role in her death and leave that chapter of his life behind.

But because James feels his guilt so thoroughly, Mary's words don't reach him. Stuck in a prison of his own making, James has made up his mind. In fact, it seems pretty unlikely that Mary's ghost is actually speaking to James in this scene - it may all be in James' head.

Beyond the generic common theme of forgiveness, Mary really doesn't sound like herself here. Mary's final words to James in this scene - "I was always waiting for you" - more accurately echo the false letter James' guilty psyche dreams up at the beginning of the game, the one that lures him back to Silent Hill in the first place. It's more likely, then, that James is simply imagining a conversation with Mary in his final moments, and believes he'll be able to return to her side in the afterlife.

Of course, another interpretation entirely paints things in a different color - it could just as easily be Maria in the backseat. Although she's generally implied to be gone for good after the final boss fight, it wouldn't be the first time Maria has come back from the dead. When James asks "Will you wait for me," the action cuts to a uniquely framed shot, showing just the lower half of Mary's face in the rearview mirror as her lips curl up into a smirk.

This interpretation wouldn't be out of line with Silent Hill 2's approach to symbolism, either - it often uses mirrors as visual metaphors for duality or duplicity. Mary's eyes don't appear in this shot, either, which always suggests dishonesty and hidden intentions.

Silent Hill 2's Bliss Ending Explained

A New Beginning For James?

The Bliss ending is decidedly more cryptic, and ends before the final boss, with James watching the tape he believes Mary left for him in Silent Hill. However, instead of revealing that James smothered Mary, the tape instead shows James' original footage of his and Mary's peaceful vacation in Silent Hill. The main focus of the shot is Mary standing in front of a bright window, looking out and musing on her inexplicable love for the town. She explains that it used to be a sacred place, which she says she can understand after having spent some time there.

Echoing her letter, Mary makes James promise her that they'll return to Silent Hill, to which he agrees. The two embrace before Mary reminds James they need to get back to packing. The shot turns to James as he picks up his camcorder. He pauses, gaining a vacant expression for a moment. Mary asks him if something happened, to which James replies, "Oh, no. It's nothing." The scene returns to the Lakeview Hotel room where James began viewing the tape, where his armchair lies empty.

The implication here seems to be that James has inserted himself into the blissful world of his own happy memories, reuniting with Mary just before her illness began. His distant gaze appears to imply that he maintains some memory of his future-past grief, but he brushes it off at the first chance he gets. This is, in a way, quite similar to the Maria ending, in that it implies the events of Silent Hill 2 constantly repeat themselves in a breakable cycle.

In light of this ending, Silent Hill 2 takes on a Buddhist tone. There's a Buddhist concept by the name of samsara, which holds that all humans are subject to suffering in an endless cycle of life, death, and reincarnation. Only by ridding oneself of desire can nirvana be achieved, breaking from the miserable cycle, the ultimate goal of Buddhism's Eightfold Path. In a way, that's exactly what James is doing, just on a much smaller level.

James is stuck in a cycle of suffering: if it follows the same continuity, beginning with the events shown on the tape, Mary will fall ill shortly after she and James return from their trip to Silent Hill. The cycle will then repeat itself infinitely - Mary will get sick, James will murder her, and he'll return to Silent Hill wracked by guilt to do it all over again. He can only break the cycle by freeing himself of the unrealistic desire to return to Mary's side, which he can only do in the Leave ending.

Which Ending Is Canon?

Silent Hill's Canon Is Foggy By Design

Ultimately, it's hard to say which of Silent Hill 2's endings is canon, even after the remake. James scarcely appears in the rest of the series, except in joke endings where he teams up with aliens to abduct later protagonists. His father, Frank Sunderland, appears in Silent Hill 4: The Room, but all he reveals about James is that he "disappeared." This could refer to any of the endings from the original game: James' death at the bottom of Toluca Lake, his ongoing cycle of suffering, or his starting a new life after leaving Silent Hill.

Perhaps the most satisfying possible way to view Silent Hill 2, though, is to consider two different endings canon at the same time: James goes through a repetitive loop of the Maria or Bliss endings, until he finally learns to accept his role in Mary's death and achieves salvation through the Leave ending. This charts character development over multiple playthroughs, bringing James from a state of all-consuming grief to one of acceptance. It also ends on a hopeful note as he finally escapes Silent Hill.

Still, the meanings and canonicity of Silent Hill 2's endings has always been up for debate; that's why there's never been a direct sequel, and why later games in the series keep things intentionally vague. Ultimately, it's up to players to interpret the endings and decide which makes the most sense in the Silent Hill 2 remake, just as it was in the original.

Source: GamersPrey/YouTube

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Silent Hill 2 Remake

The Silent Hill 2 Remake is an upcoming Survival Horror release from Bloober Team, the same creative squad behind Layers of Fear and Observer. Developers are reimagining James Sunderland's adventure through Silent Hill, with updated graphics and gameplay.

Survival Horror

OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Rating:86/100 Critics Recommend:88%

Franchise

Silent Hill

Platform(s)

PC , PS5

Released

October 8, 2024

Developer(s)

Bloober Team

Publisher(s)

Konami

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Themes, Violence

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty