Side Effect combines a game of chess with a roguelike experience. Experiment, discover combos, carve out your own path by expanding your spellbook and collecting artifacts. Lose, learn and try again.
We are not affiliated with IsThereAnyDeal.






Side Effect is a tactical roguelike based on chess where you dominate the board by using spells. Choose an elemental school and enter the arena.
Spells are channeled by your pawns, with various effects depending which pawn you chose. Use that to your advantage by strategically positioning your pieces on the board. Plan ahead to keep the upper hand. But be careful: the AI won’t go easy on you.
Assemble your spellbook, drawing from 9 schools of magic. Gather powerful artifacts and craft your own gameplay, as you experiment combos.
Understand the dynamic of each level and turn their mechanics to your advantage. Make sure to adapt your strategy and spells to the situation.
You can experience the game with one like-minded friend! Strategies may change drastically as you combine both spellbooks. The more, the merrier!
Things may get a bit hectic, and plans may not pan out the way you expected, but that’s fine. Even the AI cannot anticipate all the consequences of its actions. Magic is beautiful, dangerous, and hard to predict. This is the actual Side Effect.
Steam data © 2025 Valve Corporation. Steam and the Steam logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Valve Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Independent of Valve. Pricing and availability subject to change.






Side Effect is a tactical roguelike based on chess where you dominate the board by using spells. Choose an elemental school and enter the arena.
Spells are channeled by your pawns, with various effects depending which pawn you chose. Use that to your advantage by strategically positioning your pieces on the board. Plan ahead to keep the upper hand. But be careful: the AI won’t go easy on you.
Assemble your spellbook, drawing from 9 schools of magic. Gather powerful artifacts and craft your own gameplay, as you experiment combos.
Understand the dynamic of each level and turn their mechanics to your advantage. Make sure to adapt your strategy and spells to the situation.
You can experience the game with one like-minded friend! Strategies may change drastically as you combine both spellbooks. The more, the merrier!
Things may get a bit hectic, and plans may not pan out the way you expected, but that’s fine. Even the AI cannot anticipate all the consequences of its actions. Magic is beautiful, dangerous, and hard to predict. This is the actual Side Effect.
Side Effect combines a game of chess with a roguelike experience. Experiment, discover combos, carve out your own path by expanding your spellbook and collecting artifacts. Lose, learn and try again.
We are not affiliated with IsThereAnyDeal.
Steam data © 2025 Valve Corporation. Steam and the Steam logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Valve Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Independent of Valve. Pricing and availability subject to change.