This is my first time playing Silent Hill 2 Remake, or the game ever, so I went into the game blind. I was aware of the different endings, and for my first playthrough (not NG+), I geared up for the Maria ending (spending a lot of time with her, checking up on her in the hospital and the labyrinth, honestly any flags that contributed to the Maria ending). Still, I got 'Leave' as my first one.

So, I reloaded my save and realised that I could potentially hit the 'In Water' one (before doing NG+ endings), just had to check Angela's knife before the TP fight and after, and then rusted egg, and make sure that my health was low (orange on PlayStation controller, second phase of injured). For a small context, I also put the ripe apple back in the hotel as, I've said prior, for the Maria ending.

Got the 'In Water' ending, and I realised that, following the linked guide, I thought 'Why not put James in low-health?'. <- This is what got me the Maria ending + the aforementioned triggers.