The Madison church maze and candle puzzle represents one of the trickier elements of the game, as Luca stumbles about the Cathedral of St. Jupiter across 1951, 1987 and 2022 time periods. There are four biblical mazes in these time frames to explore with colored candles to place while being hassled by a Nazi ghost. Fortunately we'll help you through this trial, covering the process below and explaining how you can place all the candles in all the Madison church mazes, where they need to go, and how you can evade Hans along the way.
Madison church maze and candles puzzle explained
The Madison's candle puzzle is based around placing one candle in each of the mazes in St. Jupiter's Cathedral, with each candle needing to be set under the correct picture in the correct maze. It's somewhat obscure, even more so than the puzzle that makes you work our where to place the picture with ages on in Madison, but the process goes as follows:
- Use the camera to travel between 2022, 1987 and 1951.
- Acquire all four candles - blue, red, green and yellow.
- Find out what religious imagery is tied to each candle/color.
- Uncover the paths through the biblical mazes by finding the pamphlets, then place the candles under the right pictures.
- Avoid the ghost Hans by playing quickly and delaying the confession.
- Collect the key from the belltower and open the confessional booth, and complete Madison's funeral.
We'll go into the process in more detail below, but that's the basic explanation of what you're trying to do. Each candle has to go in the maze of the same color, beneath the picture associated with that color.
It's also important to say this early, but don't listen to the confession in the booth in 1951! At least, not yet, if you haven't done it already. Doing so triggers a new event that'll put you in danger, so you should delay this for as long as possible.
Of course, if you want more details on the game itself or aren't doing this section right now, we've got a full walkthrough for Madison right here!
How to travel through time
Early in the Cathedral you'll find a room with 1987 roughly graffitied on the wall. Photographing it will send you back to that year, with the environment shifting to match. This'll also show a sign that reads 1951, that allows you to go back even further. Photographing the three signs in this room allows you to travel between the three eras. You'll have to go to all three at different times, though 2022 has the least to offer, which feels pretty bloody apt.
Where to find all four candles in Madison
There's four candles - red, blue, yellow and green - that players need to find before they can proceed. They're spread across the three eras, so players will need to do a bit of time travel to reach them.
- Yellow candle (2022): Found on the palate next to the fallen sign reading 2022 outside the time travel room, surrounded by smaller, lit candles.
- Red candle (1987): In the middle of the hallway leading to the bell tower.
- Blue candle (1951): In the time travel room on the benches beneath the sign reading 1951.
- Green candle (1951): Floating between the pews in the centre of the aisle in the main church, down from the confessionary. You need to hear the speech in the confessionary for it to spawn, but do the next steps first and listen to the speech last to get the green candle.
Where to put the candles
The candles go in the mazes of the matching color, but it's a little more complicated than that. Each color is also tied to a specific piece of religious imagery, which you can find out by reading the signs and photographing the paintings in the corridor leading to the belltower in both 1987 and 1951. However, here's the cheat sheet version:
- Red: Crucifixion
- Green: Angels
- Blue: Virgin Mary
- Yellow: God
This means that when you complete the maze and reach the final room within them, you need to place the candle under the corresponding painting, as there'll be three options each time. If you reach the maze and there's no picture that matches, you need to complete it in the other time period. So if the Crucifixion painting isn't in the Red Maze in 1987, you'll need to go to 1951 and do it there.
Once the candle is placed, leave it alone! All four need to be set up at once to complete the puzzle. As to why any of of this is happening, we've got the Madison ending explained to help explain it all. Although maybe bookmark that page and comeback to it later as it'll be filled with spoilers if you look before you're finished.
Church maze path solution
Each maze is small, but difficult to navigate, especially when Hans starts coming after you and puts a timer on things. Like the Madison Blue Knees entity, you'll have to deal with a creature that randomly appears and tries to kill you. The solutions are found on pamphlets scattered around the church in all time periods, but we've collated them above. Just keep your cool and consider the relative lengths of the routes shown - you shouldn't necessarily walk as far as the maze path allows you to before turning.
Once you get to the end, check the three paintings presented - which will be randomised playthrough to playthrough - and place the candle of the color maze you're in, under the painting it's associated with. If there isn't one, complete the maze in the other time period and see if it's there (it should be in one or the other, or there's no way to complete the puzzle).
How to avoid Hans the Ghost, once "He is Here"
Reaching the end of the game? Find out how to finally open the Madison combination lock here!
Hans the Nazi Ghost is the main threat here, but he has his limitations. He only attacks you in 1951, and even then only starts spawning in after you hear the confession from his wife.
For this reason, you want to delay this confession as long as possible. Complete the Yellow, Red and Blue mazes, place their candles, then listen to the confession to get the Green Candle to spawn in the aisle. Immediately grab it and complete the maze as fast as possible.
Hans basically attacks you on a timer, and the only way to delay that timer is to place a candle correctly. Once you're in his zone, you have roughly a minute or two before he appears and kills you, giving you a short window to make progress. Speed is key to escaping this undead war criminal.
Where to go after the church mazes
Once you've placed all four candles, you'll hear bells ringing, prompting the final stages of the puzzle. Take the following steps.
- Head to the belltower in 1987; the door will now be open.
- Pick up the key on the floor beneath the bell.
- Take the key to the confessional booth in 1951.
- The wife will have vanished, but there's a plaque that reads "Hans Goring: 1951."
- Interact with the plaque to take the "i" from it.
- Take the "i" to Madison Hale's funeral in 1987 and place it in the sign beneath her coffin.
- Photograph the coffin to destroy it and pick up the skull that was dropped.
- A white door will have appeared just beyond the coffin. Go through it.
- You'll appear in a corridor with a door at each end.
- Keep trying the alternate doors unsuccessfully until Hans appears, then once he's there, immediately turn around and flee the other direction away from him.
- If you escape him successfully, you should reappear in the Maxwell house attic.
