Silent Hill 2 Remake: East South Vale Silent Hill 2 Remake guide, walkthrough

Eastern South Vale is the first area you will explore in Silent Hill 2 Remake. On this page of the guide we have described how to get to the town, get your first weapon and gain access to the Wood Side Apartments.

Last update: 24 October 2024

The first area you will visit in Silent Hill 2 Remake is East South Vale. It will introduce you to the basic mechanics of the game. On this page, we described how to get to the town of Silent Hill by trail, acquire your first weapon, get to the Grand Market store, operate the jukebox in the bar, and find the key to the Wood Side Apartments.

• Trail to Silent Hill
• Finding the radio and the weapon
• How to get to the Grand Market?
• How to open the door to Wood Side Apartments?
• How to fix the jukebox?
• How to get the key to Wood Side Apartments?

Trail to Silent Hill

You will start the game near the public restroom close to the town of Silent Hill. Look at the signpost indicating the way to the Toluca Lake and head in that direction, going down the stairs. The path ahead is completely linear - there are no detours or room for exploration.

On the way, you will come across a well, where you'll notice a red square. This is a save point - use them as often as possible. Go through the nearby gate and enter the cemetery, where you will watch a cutscene.

Leave the cemetery through one of the gates - the gate leading further is NOT the one next to the girl you've just talked to, it's the other one. Following the linear path, you will eventually reach a blockade and locked doors.

Enter the car workshop right next to you by climbing through the open window. Inside the drawer, you will find the key. Leave the workshop and use the key to open the door in the blockade, then keep going.

A bit further on a cutscene will play, during which you will automatically acquire a map of the South Vale district - both East and West. Head west - the game will lead you down one specific road, blocking all other streets.

Finding the radio and the weapon

By the left sidewalk, you will come across a flower shop. Enter it and go through it. Examine the streak of sludge on the floor by the exit door and continue down the street to the west. At the intersection, the next streak will lead you north. In a short cutscene, you will see a strange figure disappearing in the fog.

Keep following the trail and turn into the nearby alley. You will reach the yard of an abandoned house - head inside by crawling through the hole in the garage doors (press the interaction button to crawl). Inside, use the save point.

Go through the door and enter the kitchen. Open the drawer - inside you will find your first health drink, a common healing item that restores some health (use it when the edges of the screen turn red). Leave the kitchen and go to the end of the hall - you'll notice a radio lying on a chair. Pick it up.

After a short cutscene, you will be attacked by the first enemy in the game. You will also automatically receive your first weapon - a wooden plank. Attack the enemy with the plank, dealing one or two blows at a time, then dodge to the side until the enemy attacks with a head strike or corrosive vomit. When the enemy falls on their back, keep hitting it until James finishes it off with a kick. This strategy works on all enemies of this type - as long as you fight them one on one.

After the fight, move on to the next room. You'll see a small box on the dresser - open it and take the syringe. These are rare health items that restore a lot of health (use them when you're on the brink of death). Break the window with the plank and get out.

A short cutscene will play; once it ends, keep going - break the rear window of the nearby green car and take the health drink. Follow the alley into the heart of the town and use the save point in the yard along the way.

How to get to the Grand Market?

You can now explore the east of South Vale relatively freely. Before you make progress in the plot, we recommend solving a very simple, optional puzzle, thanks to which you will gain some useful loot. Head directly to Sanders Street south of the save point. You will have to go around because the street is blocked. On the way, you can explore open buildings, but you will only find enemies there, notes unrelated to the main plot and occasional health drinks. By the truck on Sanders Street, you will find a body and a memo describing attempts to guess a four-digit code.

Then head to the Grand Market on the corner of Katz Street and Neely Street. The front door is locked from the inside - approach the back door through the wire gate. They are locked with a code. Having read the memo, you'll now know that the author has already tried all the codes from 0000 to 4439 and is convinced that he is close to guessing the correct code. Enter the next numbers in the sequence - the correct code that will open the door is 4444.

Carefully examine the store shelves and walls - on the shelves and in the first aid kits on the wall, you will find a total of three health drinks. Right next to the cash register you'll also find four bullets for a pistol (you will acquire this weapon later on though). Collect everything and leave the store through the front doors.

How to open the door to Wood Side Apartments?

To progress in the plot, you need to get to Wood Side Apartments. They are located on Katz Street and are locked. Check the flyer on the board next to the door - it will guide you to the Texan Cafe. Go east until the end of the street.

Inside the bar, go to the cash register and turn the key in it, then press the button. You will open the cash register and receive a coin that will guide you to Neely's Bar. After obtaining the coin, be careful - an opponent may crawl into the bar. Hit it with a plank before it gets up. Also remember to break the glass in the container next to the cash register and take the health drink.

Neely's Bar is located on the corner of Neely Street and Sanders Street. Once inside, use the save point and pick up a memo, which will guide you to the next two locations: Groovy Music and Saul Street Apartments. For now, ignore the locked doors inside the bar - you will go through them later. Next, remove the sheet from the jukebox by the wall and pick up half of the broken vinyl record. The machine is broken - to proceed further, you have to fix it and play the glued record on it. You will find the required items in the locations described in the memo - you can collect them in any order.

How to fix the jukebox?

To repair the jukebox you must go to several locations, collect the required parts, and play a vinyl record on the machine. We described how to do it on a separate guide page. After completing the puzzle, you will receive the key to Neely's Bar, which you can use to open the closed doors inside the building.

How to get the key to Wood Side Apartments?

Open the locked door inside the bar with the key and proceed further. In the next room, push the wheeled container to the wall and climb on it to squeeze through the small window. Take the health drink from the first aid kit on the wall and pick up the letter on the desk - it will guide you to a specific car.

Exit the building and continue along the linear path, then go through the ajar door at its end. You will find yourself in a large square - examine the abandoned jacket next to the car. You will finally get the key to the Wood Side Apartments.

Stop examining the key immediately - while you were picking it up, all exits from the square were closed off and three enemies appeared in the area. Try to isolate them from each other and eliminate them one by one - you can provoke them to attack you with vomiting, as vomiting enemies stand still for a few seconds. Keep moving all the time and move away if more than one enemy approaches you. Keep delivering single blows and immediately back off after each of them so as not to receive damage from the remaining enemies.

After defeating all the enemies, an alley will appear between the trash cans, which you can use to escape from the square. The fog will intensify - when you return to the main streets, turn left and run straight on the right sidewalk. You can ignore the enemies along the way - the street is wide, so it's easy to dodge them by sprinting.

Stick to the right sidewalk and don't turn, and eventually you will reach Wood Side Apartments. Open the door with the newly acquired key and head inside, which will conclude your exploration of the first area in the game.