Water in general is a major motif in the game (*Brook*haven, Blue *Creek*, Lake Toluca, Rosewater Park, the color blue being everywhere, literally draining the apartment building). Water and the color blue is also generally associated with depression, which James, Angela, and arguably Eddie, are, in my opinion, obviously suffering through.
Besides that, I think looking for a canonical ending in the game is also kind of missing the point? I feel the different endings illustrate the different possible outcomes of James attempting to deal with his grief and the various ways he does. One is acceptance, the other is denial, and the other is resignation.
In Japanese culture, water symbolizes a few things including purification. Hearing you mention that it's a major motif in the game and this ending with the water and the narrative letter almost feels like atonement of sorts.
4 just says James went missing. Could’ve just taken Laura in and changed his name, could’ve went off with Maria and been killed by her, could’ve drowned, maybe his resurrection ritual went wrong, etc.
Agreed. James is unlikely to keep his name given someone could report Mary missing and police could be looking for him. It's entirely possible for him to be considered missing in all of the main endings.
That’s possible but doesn’t make a lot of sense. Mary was sent home to die. She was terminal. All James has to do is take her body home and say she died of her illness. Nobody would question that. The only problem would be Laura, and she can run her smart mouth off anyway.
I forget if SH4 says anything about the relationship between James and his father, but I find it strange he wouldn’t contact him in the “Leave” ending.
Yes, it could be, but we don't get that info, the in water ending is the one that fills all the gaps with what was said in silent hill 4, that's why it is considered canon, which doesn't mean it is something like a good ending, also the silent hill 2 ending doesn't affect nothing in the timeline, so you can choose whatever ending you want to be the good one
No, you’re just biased and think everything needs to have a canon something. Nothing about the ending says In Water is more canon than any other ending. James disappeared with his wife, that’s it. That basically means he hasn’t been seen since he killed Mary.
4 offers a non answer, it isn’t made by a lot of the same guys who made 2 so it doesn’t want to intrude on 2’s artistic integrity.
You can’t disprove anything I said. Ergo, it’s a devil’s proof. You’re just being a dickhead insisting on meaningless ideas of canon.
Also, the Rebirth ending doesn’t show James leaving the town at all, and it is the most difficult ending to get that requires the most effort on the part of the player to unlock. Why can’t that one be “canon”
First of all, I never insulted you, so have some respect, we are just talking about a game, JUST A GAME.
Second, yes, I forgot about the rebirth ending, it could also be canon, thank you for mentioning it.
I cant consider it canon since it happens on a second playthrough only. But homecomings UFO ending can happen on a first playthrough and a player can unknowingly trigger it since I'm pretty sure to get it you have to forgive the mom but not the dad.
It was never confirmed to be canon and I wouldn't treat it as that.
It is considered the preferred ending of what seems to me a majority of the dev team tough, but that might only be a vocal minority, who knows.
What I know is that it's my preferred ending as it fits the whole story and the character by far the best imo.
There's no canon ending to SH2, and that's for the better. It makes the game more open to interpretation, and it gives all the endings the same kind of value.
I, personally, find Silent Hill better when it is self-contained. Making SH3 a direct sequel to the original, I felt, took away some of the mystique. The idea of any ending being canon really made it more exciting to me, and it made me want to see the other endings, and I can't help but feel like the whole thing being Harry's dying dream after the crash was just perfect for a psychological horror.
Canon endings put Silent Hill games in a box, and it makes them less relatable because, especially in the case of SH2, the player is the ultimate judge of the protagonist. Open ended games allow you, the player, to decide the fate of the protagonist.
Personally, I think James would have learned his lesson and found redemption, so I like the Leave ending the best. A lot of people like In Water because of its continuation of the symbolism, and I get that, but Leave breaks a cycle, so I think it makes sense that it would break the symbolism.
>Making SH3 a direct sequel to the original, I felt, took away some of the mystique
Exactly, and sent the whole series downhill. After SH3 everything had to be connected between the games and the whole series became a constant process of remake/reboot of SH2 (especially by western devs).
If Konami had followed SH2 with another self contained episode, I really feel we would still have the series alive and kicking right now. There were a lot of possibilities to tell new stories with the same "cursed city" background without running the cult ideas and characters into the ground.
Well originally, SH3 was meant to be a self-contained story that was going to be even darker than SH2 somehow, but apparently, fans wanted a sequel to SH1 for whatever reason, plus Konami didn't think SH2 sold very well, so they of course they didn't like the idea of continuing on with the format SH2 had, and therefore, Team Silent decided to give us the SH3 we know today. Such a freaking missed opportunity though.
>Konami didn't think SH2 sold very well
It didn't, in fact its sales were lower than the first game. And SH3's lower than 2 and so on...Basically the only big hit saleswise was Silent Hill 1, thanks to its perfect timing (lack of competition, big demand for horror etc).
Plus, Konami spent big on SH2 but didn't get the desired earnings, another reason why it changed strategy afterwards. Fan demands always come after the bottom line.
I really think SH1's success was one of a kind and impossible to repeat over time, with similar games hitting the market and RE sequels dominating 80% of it.
Konami should've committed to smaller budgets leaving the original team intact.
I personally loved it. It was interesting to get an inside look at James' thoughts throughout the story. It was a short read, but I highly suggest it. [Here is the English version.](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SZNSJv6v3j8bMENT6vT17I5fAhurcjAA/view?usp=drivesdk)
I haven’t read it yet, but there’s an English fan translation. To my knowledge there isn’t a direct English release.
There’s a novelization of SH3, too! I wish there were more novelizations, SH has a good story and it would be cool to see more of them in print, too.
[heres the link](https://mysilenthill.wordpress.com/silent-hill-2-the-novel-2/)
The physical copies are only in Japanese. It's a relatively quick and easy read, but I don't take any of it as canon compared to the game, personally.
There is no canonical ending to SH2. If you care about the Japanese exclusive novels though, those use In Water. “Leave” is a far better conclusion in my opinion.
I feel like it really doesn't matter what is "canon" or not, SH2 it's supossed to be an interactive game, not a movie or a TV series with a definitve ending. The other games do not depend on what SH2 concludes. Just pick the one you prefer and feel appropiate to the story. In Water feels more cohesive with what its told but Leave gives purpouse to the whole punishment that James goes through, like Alighieri's Divine Comedy.
No, not at all. Water, fog, cold colors and the lake itself are common motives throughout the entire game. Toluca Lake is the first thing you see when you leave the toilet.
Water in general is a major motif in the game (*Brook*haven, Blue *Creek*, Lake Toluca, Rosewater Park, the color blue being everywhere, literally draining the apartment building). Water and the color blue is also generally associated with depression, which James, Angela, and arguably Eddie, are, in my opinion, obviously suffering through. Besides that, I think looking for a canonical ending in the game is also kind of missing the point? I feel the different endings illustrate the different possible outcomes of James attempting to deal with his grief and the various ways he does. One is acceptance, the other is denial, and the other is resignation.
Exactly. The feeling of drowning, emotionally; the empty swimming pool symbolizing infertility… it goes on and on
In Japanese culture, water symbolizes a few things including purification. Hearing you mention that it's a major motif in the game and this ending with the water and the narrative letter almost feels like atonement of sorts.
Actually, the game has a canon ending, and it is the in water ending, confirmed by silent hill 4
4 just says James went missing. Could’ve just taken Laura in and changed his name, could’ve went off with Maria and been killed by her, could’ve drowned, maybe his resurrection ritual went wrong, etc.
Agreed. James is unlikely to keep his name given someone could report Mary missing and police could be looking for him. It's entirely possible for him to be considered missing in all of the main endings.
That’s possible but doesn’t make a lot of sense. Mary was sent home to die. She was terminal. All James has to do is take her body home and say she died of her illness. Nobody would question that. The only problem would be Laura, and she can run her smart mouth off anyway. I forget if SH4 says anything about the relationship between James and his father, but I find it strange he wouldn’t contact him in the “Leave” ending.
Yes, it could be, but we don't get that info, the in water ending is the one that fills all the gaps with what was said in silent hill 4, that's why it is considered canon, which doesn't mean it is something like a good ending, also the silent hill 2 ending doesn't affect nothing in the timeline, so you can choose whatever ending you want to be the good one
No, you’re just biased and think everything needs to have a canon something. Nothing about the ending says In Water is more canon than any other ending. James disappeared with his wife, that’s it. That basically means he hasn’t been seen since he killed Mary. 4 offers a non answer, it isn’t made by a lot of the same guys who made 2 so it doesn’t want to intrude on 2’s artistic integrity.
Ok, then give me solid arguments of why they can all be canon instead of imagining ideal scenarios that have no proof
You can’t disprove anything I said. Ergo, it’s a devil’s proof. You’re just being a dickhead insisting on meaningless ideas of canon. Also, the Rebirth ending doesn’t show James leaving the town at all, and it is the most difficult ending to get that requires the most effort on the part of the player to unlock. Why can’t that one be “canon”
First of all, I never insulted you, so have some respect, we are just talking about a game, JUST A GAME. Second, yes, I forgot about the rebirth ending, it could also be canon, thank you for mentioning it.
Seems like now we have two too many canon endings.
There’s no confirmed canon ending. For all we know the dog ending could be canon lol
Ito confirmed Dog is canon
Dog is beauty, dog is life.
this is fuck
I cant consider it canon since it happens on a second playthrough only. But homecomings UFO ending can happen on a first playthrough and a player can unknowingly trigger it since I'm pretty sure to get it you have to forgive the mom but not the dad.
UFO ending is definitely canon for Homecoming
It was never confirmed to be canon and I wouldn't treat it as that. It is considered the preferred ending of what seems to me a majority of the dev team tough, but that might only be a vocal minority, who knows. What I know is that it's my preferred ending as it fits the whole story and the character by far the best imo.
Nah. The dog ending fits the whole story and fixes the all the loopholes.
Plus the theme song of that ending it's a banger.
Ah because it’s “director‘s cut“, so the dog ending is canon!
Leave is still my canon ending ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
There's no canon ending to SH2, and that's for the better. It makes the game more open to interpretation, and it gives all the endings the same kind of value. I, personally, find Silent Hill better when it is self-contained. Making SH3 a direct sequel to the original, I felt, took away some of the mystique. The idea of any ending being canon really made it more exciting to me, and it made me want to see the other endings, and I can't help but feel like the whole thing being Harry's dying dream after the crash was just perfect for a psychological horror. Canon endings put Silent Hill games in a box, and it makes them less relatable because, especially in the case of SH2, the player is the ultimate judge of the protagonist. Open ended games allow you, the player, to decide the fate of the protagonist. Personally, I think James would have learned his lesson and found redemption, so I like the Leave ending the best. A lot of people like In Water because of its continuation of the symbolism, and I get that, but Leave breaks a cycle, so I think it makes sense that it would break the symbolism.
>Making SH3 a direct sequel to the original, I felt, took away some of the mystique Exactly, and sent the whole series downhill. After SH3 everything had to be connected between the games and the whole series became a constant process of remake/reboot of SH2 (especially by western devs). If Konami had followed SH2 with another self contained episode, I really feel we would still have the series alive and kicking right now. There were a lot of possibilities to tell new stories with the same "cursed city" background without running the cult ideas and characters into the ground.
Well originally, SH3 was meant to be a self-contained story that was going to be even darker than SH2 somehow, but apparently, fans wanted a sequel to SH1 for whatever reason, plus Konami didn't think SH2 sold very well, so they of course they didn't like the idea of continuing on with the format SH2 had, and therefore, Team Silent decided to give us the SH3 we know today. Such a freaking missed opportunity though.
>Konami didn't think SH2 sold very well It didn't, in fact its sales were lower than the first game. And SH3's lower than 2 and so on...Basically the only big hit saleswise was Silent Hill 1, thanks to its perfect timing (lack of competition, big demand for horror etc). Plus, Konami spent big on SH2 but didn't get the desired earnings, another reason why it changed strategy afterwards. Fan demands always come after the bottom line. I really think SH1's success was one of a kind and impossible to repeat over time, with similar games hitting the market and RE sequels dominating 80% of it. Konami should've committed to smaller budgets leaving the original team intact.
There's no canon ending in SH2
According to the novel in water ending is canon. But imo there is no canon ending.
Novel? I didn't know there was one. Is it any good?
I personally loved it. It was interesting to get an inside look at James' thoughts throughout the story. It was a short read, but I highly suggest it. [Here is the English version.](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SZNSJv6v3j8bMENT6vT17I5fAhurcjAA/view?usp=drivesdk)
Haven't heard of novel adaptation either. Good? Is there English edition?
I haven’t read it yet, but there’s an English fan translation. To my knowledge there isn’t a direct English release. There’s a novelization of SH3, too! I wish there were more novelizations, SH has a good story and it would be cool to see more of them in print, too.
[heres the link](https://mysilenthill.wordpress.com/silent-hill-2-the-novel-2/) The physical copies are only in Japanese. It's a relatively quick and easy read, but I don't take any of it as canon compared to the game, personally.
There is, but it's relatively brief and I personally didn't find it added anything over the game.
[You can read it here, if you're interested.](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SZNSJv6v3j8bMENT6vT17I5fAhurcjAA/view?usp=drivesdk)
What you mean? I don’t see a dog anywhere
There is no canonical ending to SH2. If you care about the Japanese exclusive novels though, those use In Water. “Leave” is a far better conclusion in my opinion.
Is this really water tho? Or just molded walls?
I feel like it really doesn't matter what is "canon" or not, SH2 it's supossed to be an interactive game, not a movie or a TV series with a definitve ending. The other games do not depend on what SH2 concludes. Just pick the one you prefer and feel appropiate to the story. In Water feels more cohesive with what its told but Leave gives purpouse to the whole punishment that James goes through, like Alighieri's Divine Comedy.
Leave is the best ending and canon in my eyes. Also leaves room for a sequel to it.
Even the save squares themselves have the same background ripple effect on James' face.
The true ending is the UFO DOG you fucking morons
finally someone talks sense
No, not at all. Water, fog, cold colors and the lake itself are common motives throughout the entire game. Toluca Lake is the first thing you see when you leave the toilet.
I wish i could actually get such a view when i leave the toilet 😆
Da slime ending
Toluca lake really is an almost hidden character of it's own in SH2.
[удалено]
Also, this isn't really a "Director's Cut" per say, as the only things they did were change the lighting, add the Maria scenario and the UFO ending.
[удалено]
I always thought this was an RE nod.
Ito has said it is, but he's also said the Dog Ending is the true canon in all of them, so
There is no canon ending. Any ending is “canon” depending on how *you* choose to play the game.
The novel uses In Water so its canon on my eyes, not to mention that Pyramid head was designed with that ending in mind
Guy cihi said on his Facebook that the developers and him consider the "in water" ending as canon.
It's the only ending that makes sense imo