A pill roulette where only one test subject survives
SIDE EFFECTS is a turn-based medical trial for up to 4 players, played solo or online. Each round you're offered a selection of pills. Some help, some hurt, and some kill outright. You never know what a pill will do to your mind or your body before you take it. The goal is simple: outlast everyone else at the table. There are 6 pill types to test and more than 15 unique items, so the same trial rarely plays out the same way twice.
Resistance is the resource you have to manage
Every pill you swallow pushes your resistance up or down. When resistance hits zero, you die, so the game becomes a balancing act between taking what you need and holding back for later rounds. Between rounds you can pick experimental items and treatments to shift the odds in your favor, ranging from vaccines to mouth clamps. Choosing when to spend those options and when to sit tight matters as much as which pill you pick.
Playing it with your group
SIDE EFFECTS supports multiplayer for 2 to 4 players, plus a single player mode if you want to try the trial on your own. In a group, each patient is trying to outlive the rest of the table, which means the others will bluff, adapt, and use everything they have to keep breathing one dose longer than you. Reading what the person across from you is doing is part of the strategy, not just the pills themselves.
What to know before starting
The tone is dark and psychological with a surreal, humorous edge, and the subject matter is a medical trial where only one participant walks out. Expect multiple endings depending on how your trial plays out. It runs in first person and 3D, and the play is turn-based tactics with a gambling feel, so there's time to think between doses rather than fast reflexes. Bring a group that enjoys bluffing, risk, and watching each other make bad calls.