Pills, also known as the New Product, are a new drug attained by and later produced by the Russian mafia in Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number's 1991 setting.
Events in Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number[]
Might spice up this new boring lifestyle you've chosen.
Pills are first shown on November 21st (three days into The Son's war with the Colombians), where they appear as purple and green capsules he offers to a retiring Henchman to "spice up this new boring lifestyle you've chosen." After being robbed and dumped by Mary, the Henchman takes the pills and tries to make a call on his cell phone, dialing the wrong number that serves as the game's namesake and throwing the phone away in frustration.
The Henchman consuming the Pills during Execution.
The Pills apparently dull pain, cause hallucinations and a loss of a sense of time and chronology of events, and lead to heightened frustration. The Henchman, upon seeing the Fans, explains to them that he's quit the mob, and wonders if they're wearing masks and if they're in the jungle, expressing a desire to go to the jungle . As the Fans slowly beat him to death, he wonders if he's bleeding and expresses a desire to call Mary and go home.
On December 20th, the Son unwittingly explains to Ash over the phone that now that the Colombians are gone, the New Product is in full production. Not getting an answer from Henchman, the Son frustratedly throws away his cell phone and takes four handfuls of Pills, against the warnings of Henchman's replacement, Blue Lips. The ensuing hallucinatory sequence features the Son time-jumping, shooting media equipment and goons in frustration at the news of the Fans' assault. He encounters each Fan as gigantic monstrously warped animals, which he defeats before imagining the gates and rainbow bridge to Valhalla over the side of the building, falling to his death.
The Son consuming the Pills during Apocalypse, with Blue Lips standing nearby.
Significance and Possible Origin[]
The pills are depicted as purple and green capsules, closely resembling the color scheme of the Russian mansion in Showdown, as well as the similar Colombian mansion in Take Over. They first appear shortly after The Son begins reclaiming his Father's territory from the Colombians, possibly suggesting either The Father or the Colombians is the original source of the pills.
On June 3rd, 1989, Jake raids a chemical filled meth lab which possibly is the specific operation the Son is trying to imitate. Notably, the first floor is almost completely green and purple.
Purple panthers are also present in Hawaii and are imported to Miami by The Father to serve as his body guards. The deserted building Richter raids in Demolition on April 10th, 1989 shows the Father was also importing USSR weapon cases likely used in Hawaii, crates the Son keeps in his office in 1991.
On March 17th, 1985, Barnes complains that he's somehow getting drunk too fast and blames the heat. On October 25th the Colonel is shown to come up with the 50 Blessings symbol on the back of a turtle corpse's shell, has a newfound fatalism toward the war, and is slated for promotion. Both of these events feature purple and green pulsating Alien Plants nearby and noticeable increased drunkenness. The Panther Mask speech prompts Barnes to wonder what "messed up shit" the Colonel's been drinking (possibly an alcohol or juice made from the plants). Their similar colors and Hawaiian origin implies they may be an ingredient in the Pills.
Notes[]
- The game files list many instances connected to the Pills as "LSD."
- In an interesting side note, Ray Stevens wrote a song in 1961 titled "Jeremiah Peabody's Polyunsaturated Quick-Dissolving Fast-Acting Pleasant-Tasting Green and Purple Pills". While wholly unrelated to the drugs and its effects in Hotline Miami 2 (the pills in Steven's song being a panacea), the combination of colors to describe the pills in both media seems to be eerily coincidental.