How To Solve The Mural Puzzle in Silent Hill f

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Jump Links

  • Coming Home to the Roost
  • The Fox’s Wedding
  • The Fox Wets Its Tail
  • Ebisugaoka in Silence

Many of the puzzles in Silent Hill f can be challenging, but the Mural puzzle is widely considered the most difficult. It’s frustratingly unclear, seemingly designed to be obtuse rather than logically solvable.

Players weren’t aware, though, that the Mural puzzle actually foreshadows the ending you’ll receive. Because of this, the puzzles aren’t altered by the difficulty setting – they change depending on your chosen ending. It’s easily one of the most innovative things a Silent Hill game has ever done.

During your initial playthroughs, the mural puzzle will always appear the same for everyone. However, surprisingly, achieving other endings can be simpler to understand than the main story’s conclusion. It’s a bit counterintuitive!

In this puzzle, you need to collect three unique crests: a Fox, a Black Bird, and a White Bird. Considering the game’s story and possible endings, it’s apparent that these crests symbolize the Fox Mask and the two different versions of Hinako. But where you place these crests will change based on the path you’re taking.

Ending Requirements
Coming Home to the Roost Beat your first playthrough on any difficulty.
The Fox’s Wedding Don’t take any Red Capsules, purify the Sacred Sword (or don’t pick it up), and find the Agura no Hotei-sama.
The Fox Wets Its Tail Don’t take any Red Capsules, obtain the Sacred Sword but don’t purify it.
Ebisugaoka in Silence Complete at least two endings, don’t take any Red Capsules, purify the Sacred Sword, and offer the Fox Pin at the jizo statue right before entering the Shimizu Residence.

This guide includes small spoilers regarding each of the game’s endings, because the puzzle’s riddle hints at what happens in them.

Coming Home to the Roost

As a first-time player, you’ll naturally end up with the “Coming Home to the Roost” ending. I was curious if it was unavoidable, even if you skip taking *any* Red Capsules, and it turns out you still get it! Basically, this is the ending you’re guaranteed to see unless you specifically go out of your way to unlock one of the other endings. It’s the default, so don’t worry about messing anything up!

Keeping that in mind, let’s move on to the Mural. When you first see it, the crests aren’t yet in place. Instead, you’ll find your hints written on scrolls positioned on both sides of the painting.

The riddle goes as follows:

The Black Bird wants to capture the White Bird, but the White Bird is fighting back. Meanwhile, the Fox parades through with his group, completely unaware of the struggle between the two birds.

To begin, the Fox symbol should be positioned with the Fox himself, prominently displayed in the front. The two birds, however, will appear as foxes at the opposite end of the artwork, creating a visual effect of them playing Tug-of-War with each other. The bird on the right, the one seemingly trying to move forward, will be represented by the Black Bird. Conversely, the bird opposing it, the one pulling back, will be the White Bird.

In order, the Fox, Black Bird, and White Bird should go in these slots:

The Fox’s Wedding

In The Fox’s Wedding, Fox Mask manages to win Hinako over and they get married. She’s shown wearing a Shiromuku, which was foreshadowed in the riddle. You can find these clues on the scrolls next to the Mural, on both sides, but they’re different from the ones in the previous ending.

In this one, the riddle goes like this:

Finally, the Black Bird is caged. The Fox, pleased with the outcome, proudly displays his tail feathers. The White Bird, however, seems lost and confused, as if everything happened while she was dreaming.

Throughout all these puzzles, the Fox Crest is the simplest to locate. This final step is also straightforward: the content Fox, proudly displaying his tail, represents a single figure in the artwork, positioned prominently in the front and guiding the others. Next, the Black Bird needs to be “contained,” or rather, transported alongside the fox princess within her lantern.

The White Bird appears lost in thought. For this task, locate the fox that is sitting with its legs crossed and looks bewildered, as if it’s just woken up from a frightening dream, only to discover that the dream is actually real.

Following the order of the Fox Crest, Black Bird Crest, and White Bird Crest, here’s where they are located:

The Fox Wets Its Tail

The Fox Wets Its Tail is the conclusion of the story where Hinako escapes from her wedding ceremony, rejecting the commitments and pressures that came with marriage. Ultimately, Fox Mask (revealed to be Kotoyuki Tsuneki) observes her departure, accepting her decision and feeling powerless to intervene.

The hint foreshadows this; for this ending, you get this riddle:

I just watched this incredible scene unfold in the game. This beautiful White Bird finally broke free, soaring away from her cage. It was bittersweet, because her shadow was right there with her, almost like a part of her. And then there was the Fox, standing with a lantern, just…watching them go. He looked so helpless, like he knew he couldn’t stop them. It really hit me – once they were gone, there was absolutely nothing he could do.

Rather than being prominently displayed as a sign of triumph, the Fox Crest is positioned differently this time. It’s placed directly above the carriage, inside the fox-shaped lantern hanging over it-observing the escaping bride. Below that, the White and Black Birds are positioned side-by-side, with the Black Bird directly behind the White Bird, exactly as the riddle describes.

In the sequence of Fox Crest, Black Bird Crest, and White Bird Crest, here’s where they ultimately land:

Ebisugaoka in Silence

Ebisugaoka in Silence, which is considered the best (and most genuine) ending, sees Hinako choosing not to actively *do* anything. Instead, she focuses on self-reflection, learning to accept her feelings and sort through her thoughts. She allows herself the time to carefully consider the marriage proposal, mirroring Kotoyuki’s own process. Ultimately, this ending emphasizes the power of having choices and the tranquility that comes with it.

For the final, true ending, you will get this puzzle, which is the most vague of them all:

Two baby birds are talking to each other while still inside their eggs. A Fox is keeping an eye on them, illuminated by his lantern. It’s uncertain whether, or when, the eggs will ever break open – even the chicks themselves don’t know what will happen.

In this scene, the Fox Crest returns to its place inside the lantern hanging over the carriage, mirroring what happens in The Fox Wets Its Tail. But unlike before, the birds aren’t located on the opposite side of the painting. This time, they’re positioned directly under the fox, inside the carriage, and appear to be sharing secrets with each other.

Inside the carriage, the Black Bird represents the part of Hinako that desires marriage. The White Bird, positioned in the lantern just outside, completes the symbolism, illustrating how this evolved Hinako is prepared to embrace that desire, all while forging her own unique path forward.

Ultimately, arranging the emblems in the usual sequence of Fox, Black Bird, and White Bird, they fit into these slots:

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2025-10-02 15:11