Side Effects

Two individuals are locked inside a high-risk medical trial where survival depends on the pills they take. In Side Effects, each round begins with a small but life-altering choice: select a pill without knowing exactly what it will do. The outcome could be beneficial, harmful, or instantly lethal. Every decision carries weight, as the wrong choice can accelerate your decline or put you one step closer to defeat. The only measure keeping you alive is your resistance level. Let it fall to zero, and your participation in the experiment ends. This creates a constant tension between playing safe and taking a chance, with every pill becoming a potential turning point in the match.

Managing Resistance

Resistance is the most critical element in the trial, acting as the player’s lifeline. Each pill taken either increases, decreases, or drastically alters it in unpredictable ways. Some rounds may seem harmless at first, but the cumulative effects can quickly spiral out of control. The key is to manage resistance so that it never reaches zero, which demands careful observation of the patterns, calculated risks, and an understanding that even a seemingly minor drop could be fatal later. Unlike typical survival systems, resistance here is not simply a health bar—it is a constantly shifting balance of risk and endurance that must be maintained round after round.

Experimental Tools And Items

To influence the odds, the trial offers experimental tools between rounds. These may modify the outcome of certain pills, temporarily boost resistance, or disrupt the opponent’s strategy. Selecting the right tool at the right time can completely change the flow of the match. The available features include:

·         A single player mode against AI

·         Free Healthcare endless mode for extended play

·         A multiplayer mode for two players

·         Nine distinct experimental items

·         Six different pill categories to test
These additions provide opportunities to shift the momentum in your favor, but they require strategic thinking and precise timing, as every choice shapes the path to victory or defeat.

Outlasting The Competition

In Side Effects, you are never truly alone in the trial. The other participant is not simply another test subject—they are your direct competition. In multiplayer, human opponents will bluff, mislead, and adapt to your actions, trying to outlast you by just one more dose. In single player, the AI mimics this behavior, applying pressure at critical moments. Victory demands that you anticipate the opponent’s next move, read their patterns, and decide whether to play aggressively or conservatively. A single wrong read can push you into a pill that ends your run instantly, and every small success moves your rival closer to winning.