Silent Hill f’s Super Guide to the School Puzzles For All 3 Game Modes

When the trio enters the middle school, Hinako is separated from Shu and Rinko. Before you even think about tackling any of the school puzzles, grab the Ebisugaoka Middle School floor plan from the board on the wall to your left. This little piece of paper is your record keeper as you wander through the middle school floors for clues. The moment you start exploring the first floor, you’ve automatically launched into a puzzle without even realizing it. Sneaky, Silent Hill. Very sneaky.

The Stairwell School Puzzle

To unlock the second floor of the middle school, you need to find the Main Building 2F Stair Key to open the double doors. The key locations vary for each game mode. Each puzzle difficulty mode has its own details that will add exploratory options and more to the story’s lore. Be sure to review all the documents thoroughly so you don’t miss any important details or valuable information you may find along the way.

Story Mode: Locked Drawer

You’ll find a note for the Vice Principal in the entrance office that tells you the key is locked in the office drawer. On the floor in the classroom across from that office, a balled-up Student’s Note explains how the student used a hairpin to pick the lock open. In the journal, it was noted that Sakuko lost a hairpin in the rabbit hutch (Silent Hill f dad jokes, everyone). Crawl out through the classroom window and make your way to the rabbit hutch while avoiding the blob monster that’s wielding a huge knife. Search the basket for the hairpin, and make your way back to the drawer.

Hard Mode: Flower Bed

For Hard Mode, you found a Teacher’s journal explaining that the Vice Principal took the keys with him during his patrol and lost them. The documents you collect along the way explain that the Vice Principal is paranoid about losing keys and loves gardening. The Vice Principal dropped the key while strolling through the flower bed. The key will be found near the blue chrysanthemum flower bed in the western part of the yard.

Lost in the Fog Mode: Prank Planter

For Lost in the Fog Mode, one of the students pulled a prank on the Vice Principal. Inside one of the shoe cubbies by the school’s entrance, you will find the Student’s Prank Drawing showing the Vice Principal falling into a planter cart of hydragendas flowers. It shows the key falling out of his pocket. Go outside to the western part of the school and up the school staircase along the chrysanthemum flower bed. Turn right and head down the sidewalk to find a collection of potted hydragendas, and there you will find the key.

The Secret Box School Puzzle

Once you’re locked in Hinako’s old classroom (because of course the door locks behind you), you’ll discover Rinko’s secret box on the desk behind Hinako’s seat. This puzzle is all about symbols and childhood memories, and honestly, it’s kind of sweet when it’s not driving you up the wall. The Unopened Envelopes you find contain these hints that stay the same in each difficulty:

• Round 1: “The sweet and tart fruit on the cake…” Expose all of the fruits
• Round 2: “By filling up one journal after another with our thoughts…” Expose all of the books
• Round 3: “Can you picture the beautifully blooming sakura awaiting us?” Expose all of the sakuras (flowers, branches, and trees)

The difficulty level changes the number of symbols you need to find on the box. The information you read from the letters is the same for all the levels. Once all riddles have been solved, you will be given the Second Floor Classroom Generic Key. Upon trying to leave the classroom, you have an uneasy visit from your sister Junko.

The Locker Room School Puzzles

Here’s where Silent Hill f gets really clever with its school puzzles. When you leave the secret box puzzle, you’ll pick up the Old Annex Main Gate key down the hall. When you unlock the sealed locker room, you will need to find a locker combination to get the final key to escape the school. The locker combinations aren’t random numbers – they’re words disguised as numbers based on what the letters look like. There are documents scattered around that contain coded words you will need to decipher to lead to the final number combination.

The Number-Letter System

• 1 = I
• 3 = E
• 4 = A
• 6 = U (this one breaks the “looks like” rule, so remember it)
• 8 = B
• 5 = S
• 0 (zero) = O

Askura Ayumi’s Locker Codes

This is THE locker you need to crack to make your escape from the school. To find the combinations, you need to find Ayumi’s classroom seat and read her textbook. The book contains a written verse with a keyword of what she was thinking about, and will produce the Locker Room Key. Each difficulty level has a different message. Once inside Ayumi’s locker, you’ll find the Key Cabinet Key, which is your ticket to getting the Key to the Back Mountains and finally escaping this nightmare school.

• Story Mode: SEA (534)
• Hard Mode: BUS (8U5)
• Lost in the Fog: EGG (300)

The following are bonus lockers you can open for loot:

• Aoi Takeshi: Uses his name as the code
• Suga Yosie: SOS (505) – it’s literally a cry for help
• Tsuchiya Taiko: Her code is given directly in one of the Origami of Grievances

Final Thoughts: Puzzles are Puzzling in Silent Hill f

The Ebisugaoka Middle School puzzles turn this trip down memory lane into a pre-teen escape room nightmare as Hinako tries to find her way out of the “good ol’ times.” Keep your eyes peeled for any and all documents, info boards, or bits of paper that can drop a few hints of clues and lore. The school is a living storyteller, giving you codes to find keys, tools, and some good loot. Just like the shifting environment, changing the puzzle difficulty settings will change the story and mechanics that can make or break you way out of there. Here’s something for your troubles (complimentary wooden bat).