Side Effects

Side Effects is a minimalist psychological game where two participants take turns ingesting pills in an unpredictable contest of survival. With no clear explanation of what each pill does, players are left to calculate risk in real-time, trying to stay one step ahead of both the opponent and the unknown. The setting is stark and clinical, but the decisions are layered and full of tension. Every round feels like a gamble, and each action could end the game.

How Pills Create Strategy

Each turn begins with a choice: take a pill, pass, or use an item. Pills are assigned randomized effects, and their influence may be positive, negative, or delayed. Some give temporary boosts, others weaken the player’s condition, and a few have permanent consequences. As more pills are consumed, the player’s tolerance builds, making further choices riskier. The opponent faces the same challenge, and part of the strategy involves reading their moves as much as your own.

Decisions With Long-Term Impact

There are no fixed outcomes in Side Effects. What works in one round could be deadly in another. The game is designed around uncertainty, and it forces players to make the best of incomplete information. Every moment counts, and each new choice changes the conditions of play. Survival depends on luck, and on how well players understand the flow of the match and the cost of hesitation.

Main elements found in the game:

•         Pills with randomized, hidden effects
•         A turn-based format that encourages careful planning
•         A tolerance system that escalates the danger over time
•         Optional items that shift outcomes or add complexity
•         A stripped-down visual design that highlights choices

An Experience Built On Suspense

The lack of direct action or combat doesn’t mean a lack of intensity. Side Effects generates tension through what it doesn’t show—outcomes that unfold after delay, side effects that stack without warning, and the creeping sense that every move might be your last. It’s a battle of control under pressure, where the smallest decision can lead to victory or collapse.

Rather than telling a story, Side Effects lets the mechanics speak. Each session creates its own narrative of caution, chance, and reaction. It’s a game where restraint is just as important as risk, and the consequences of each turn feel both personal and unpredictable. There are no enemies here—only choices, and the weight they carry.