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"You can use the fake death pill to send yourself into a death-like state for a limited period of time."
Major Zero

The fake death pill is a potassium cyanide capsule that sends the user into a death-like state. This can be used to avoid being killed by the enemy. If the pill's effect is used for too long then it will result in actual death. The revival pill is used to counteract the effects of the fake death pill, which is implanted in the tooth of the user beforehand.

The fake death pill was developed by the CIA's technological division for its field agents circa 1964.[1] and essentially uses the same chemical pheronomes as real life animals (i.e., ladybugs, cicada, opossums, etc.) and applies it to spy missions.[2]

Use by the CIA[]

Naked Snake was equipped with a fake death pill during the Virtuous Mission and Operation Snake Eater. When he was taken prisoner in Groznyj Grad, and his equipment confiscated, The Boss shot a fake death pill into him with a SAA to help him escape the facility's prison.

Warning: The following information is from outside Hideo Kojima's core "Metal Gear Saga." Its canonicity within the continuity is disputed, therefore reader discretion is advised.[?]

The CIA secretly gave Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov a fake death pill to fake his death.[3]

Non-"Metal Gear Saga" information ends here.

Behind the scenes[]

The Fake Death Pill can be used by Snake to play dead and fool enemy guards, attack dogs and most bosses (albeit only once per boss fight). To come out of it, he must use the Revival Pill, but waiting too long will result in actual death. The Fake Death Pill weighs 0.1 kg in the Backpack.

The Fear will react to use of the Fake Death Pill by approaching Snake's body and saying, "Dead, already? Just when the fun was about to begin." The Fake Death Pill will not fool The Boss (due to her CIA knowledge), who will respond to its use by mocking Snake, knocking him out of his senses and urging him to continue the fight. It does have a temporary effect on EVA, who will first be surprised if Snake uses it for the first time, though she will only demand that he stop fooling around if used again.

On consuming the Fake Death Pill, a Game Over screen appears with the phrase "Snake is Dead." The screen also emulates the shift from "Snake is Dead" to "Time Paradox." The Item Menu (and by proxy, the Revival Pill) can be accessed until the shift to "Time Paradox" completes, at which point Naked Snake actually dies. The transformation will continue whilst the Item Menu is on-screen. The "Continue/Exit" prompt on the Game Over screen is fully functional.

If the player uses the Fake Death Pill in the HD Collection, they'll be awarded with the trophy/achievement "Mostly Dead."

Notes and references[]

  1. ^ Major Zero remarked that the fake death pill and the revival pill were the latest in internal medicine for intelligence ops agents during the time of the Virtuous Mission.
  2. ^ Para-Medic mentions this to Naked Snake.
  3. ^ Metal Gear Solid 4 Database ("Ghost"), Kojima Productions (2008).
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