The Ema puzzle in Silent Hill f is one of the game’s most nerve-racking challenges. Along the Shrine Path, you’ll be forced to search through rows of wooden prayer plaques, flipping them one by one while enemies close in. Each riddle ties directly to a specific Ema, and you’ll need to uncover three correct plaques to unlock the Shrine Vault.
If you’re struggling to interpret the riddles or don’t want to waste time in this enemy-filled gauntlet, this guide focuses entirely on how to identify and locate the correct Ema for each difficulty.
How the Ema Puzzle Works
The moment you set foot on Shrine Path, your childhood toy shows up alongside an Ema with a mysterious riddle. That riddle is the secret: it informs you which one of the plaques lined on the walls has the correct icon hidden behind. Flip the right one and you’ll uncover an image linked with the Shrine Vault lock. Gather all three, and then go back to the Vault to enter the sequence.
It’s worth noting that there’s only one plaque per wall that is correct. Once you touch it, you can’t go back and verify the others. Fortunately, you don’t have to memorise the icons yourself — they’re marked down in your journal in the right order.
First Ema – Hard Mode Riddle
On Hard, the first riddle says:
“Lightning from the skies sent down shattered the rotted tree. Out of the ground springs kudzu, the seer of eternal riches.”
The key is easy to find once you are aware of what to search for. Within the sea of generic plaques, there are three unique designs: one of lightning, one of a broken tree, and one of a kudzu vine. Each of these symbols is associated with the lock, and all together create the first half of the Vault’s combination.
When searching for this Ema, look over the walls very carefully. The proper plaque will always be visible with the symbol cut or painted more prominently than the blanks around it.
Second Ema – Lost in the Fog Riddle
In the more challenging Lost in the Fog mode, the riddle is much more mysterious:
“The Head of the Carriage Yokai was cut off. The Arms of the Umbrella Yokai, and the legs of the Kettle Yokai.”
This time, plaques have Yokai drawings covering them. The test is in observing the missing body parts:
- The Carriage Yokai plaque is correct if it has two missing heads.
- The Umbrella Yokai plaque is correct if it has four missing arms.
- The Kettle Yokai plaque is accurate if it is missing three legs.
These distinctive aspects render the right plaques distinguishable from the others. After being discovered, the symbols they contain provide you with the second part of the Shrine Vault sequence.
Third Ema – Completing the Set
The third Ema operates in exactly the same manner: follow the clue, look at the final wall, and switch the plaque with the corresponding imagery. When you do that, you’ll have all three icons required for the Vault lock noted in your logbook.
For beginners, there’s a little bonus here. After discovering the last Ema, talk to the wall again to receive a secret Cat Omamori, which is a formidable collectable rewarding your patience.
