Side Effects

Game information

Side Effects is a stripped-down two-player game where every move is a quiet gamble. Set in a clinical test chamber, it centers around the act of ingesting randomized pills with unpredictable outcomes. There’s no combat, no countdown, and no instruction—just a growing tension as both participants take turns deciding whether to trust, hesitate, or act. With each pill swallowed, the invisible weight of possible consequences grows.

Turn-Based Choices With Unknown Risk

Each turn presents three simple options: take a pill, use an item, or pass. The pills have no visible labels and no guarantees. Some restore balance, others build silent damage, and many hide their purpose until it’s too late. The player’s tolerance rises with each pill, shifting the odds with every decision. Items may offer temporary stability, but they are limited—and they too come with risk. The pressure isn’t in the speed but in the silence between choices.

Playing With Uncertainty

Side Effects builds its structure around what players don’t know. The interface is clean, the pacing slow, and every action feels heavier as the match progresses. You’re not racing your opponent—you’re both quietly testing fate. The game becomes a space of observation: watching how the other reacts, sensing patterns, and questioning your own next move.

Core components include:

•         Random pill effects in every match
•         Tolerance system that tracks unseen buildup
•         Turn-based format with open-ended strategy
•         Minimal audio-visual design focused on mood
•         Optional items that can stabilize or disrupt outcomes

A Mental Contest In A Controlled Room

Rather than filling the space with noise or narrative, Side Effects focuses on psychological atmosphere. Players are seated in silence. There are no clues, no visible health bars, and no outward signs of progression. The unease comes from within—from realizing that you don’t know when the damage begins or how close the end might be.

Each match of Side Effects offers a closed system, a test without an answer key. It’s a game of caution, doubt, and invisible consequences. You’re not just playing against another person—you’re playing against the idea that no outcome can be truly predicted. And the deeper you go, the more you realize: winning might not mean escaping—it might simply mean enduring longer than the system expected.