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SIDE EFFECTS – Review

Chance-based games have always been popular, but the genre has seen a boom in sales lately, thanks to certain titles linking a more grim theme to it. Take Buckshot Roulette, for example, which is a game where you play Russian Roulette with a shotgun and a few power-ups to make things more interesting. That’s also the case for the subject of today’s review: SIDE EFFECTS. In SIDE EFFECTS, you’re playing Russian Roulette but with drugs, where one may allow you to live until the next clinical trials, while the other may mean your untimely demise. Story While this could also be seen as an extension of the messed-up happenings in The Outlast Trials, SIDE EFFECTS doesn’t actually come with a storyline whatsoever. You basically take part in horrific medical trials where you have to try out different types of pills, where some may be beneficial for your health, while many of the others are damaging or even deadly. There is no real plot needed here for the game to be enjoyable, as it’s pretty much a Buckshot Roulette type of game, albeit with pills instead of a shotgun. Graphics Well, graphically, SIDE EFFECTS isn’t the prettiest game out there, but the distorted, creepy, and simplistic visuals suit the game perfectly. You’ll be limited to a grimy operating room in which you have the table where the pills get dumped on and the different creepy patients. You’ll see small changes to the patients when they are suffering from certain effects, but all in all, everything looks a bit cheap. We didn’t mind the simplistic style, as it’s all about the gameplay here still. Nonetheless, the rough visuals did add to the atmosphere. Sound The sound design is fairly simplistic as well, with a fairly chill but eerie track greeting you when booting up the game, and basic SFX supporting all the in-game actions. There is honestly not that much more to tell here. Everything has a fitting sound, and we reckon that eventually you’ll turn on your own music while playing the game. Gameplay SIDE EFFECTS describes itself as a tense, turn-based medical roulette game, which is pretty accurate. You’ll either play offline versus an AI opponent or the multiplayer mode with up to three other players. It’s your goal to try out different types of pills, hoping to be the last one standing. Each type of pill has placebos, but also fatal ones, which will cost you HP. When swallowing placebo pills, you’ll lose shield from your second meter, and when you run out of shields, you’ll also lose one HP. If you run out of HP, it’s game over. It’s a very straightforward gameplay loop, but you’ll have to keep track of what is happening with the other player(s). Each round, different varieties of pills are dropped on the table in front of you, and all players will need to pick one in turn. Of course, just swallowing pills would not be the most exciting gameplay experience, so the game spices things up by also adding items to the mix. Every round, you can pick two items from a tray that is presented to you, and these can include drug testers to see if your selected pill is safe, candies to skip turns, electro-shock helmets to regenerate your shield value, and so on. It’s a fun idea, and it’s quite cool if you can save up the right item for the right situation. Your item slots are limited, however, so hanging on to them for too long may not help you in the long run. After playing a few rounds, you’ll already have unlocked all the different item options, as well as the so-called Pill Quest. The latter is basically a quest that all players can take part in, where they have to swallow certain types of pills in a specific order to regain one HP. If one player clears it, however, the Pill Quest resets for everyone. This does add a bit of an additional strategic component to the mix, but ultimately, SIDE EFFECTS does not have that much content as a whole. It’s a fun gameplay loop in general, but it’s one of those experiences that’s best enjoyed in short bursts or with friends while you’re all together in a voice call. The game does not have voice chat, which is a shame if you’re playing online. Conclusion SIDE EFFECTS is an amusing game somewhat similar to Buckshot Roulette, which is best enjoyed with friends. While a lot of the gameplay is still somewhat luck-based, the strategic component is also a very fun touch and makes the experience a lot more engaging. It’s very satisfying to set up another player with the right items, forcing them to take a lethal pill, maybe even winning the game in the process. While the presentation was not really the most defining feature of the game, the creepy visuals did set the right mood. If you’re looking for a fun title to play occasionally in between bigger titles, SIDE EFFECTS might just be that game.