1. S.E.M.I. – Side Effects May Include
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S.E.M.I. – Side Effects May Include News

Intensive Therapy Course

[h2]Attention, patients![/h2]

We’ve carefully listened to your feedback, taken your suggestions into account, and together with you, we’re making the project better, more convenient, and more enjoyable. Below, we’ll walk you through the key changes.

[h2]Therapy Course[/h2]

A new mode has been added — players will need to thoroughly explore every corner of the special clinic and track down all experimental specimens. Completing stages and rescuing samples will earn you valuable rewards!


[h2]Escape Mode[/h2]

The standard mode has undergone major changes and received a new name - Escape Mode. It now includes alternative final levels, as well as a completely new final stage - the Labyrinth, which appears both in Escape Mode and in the Therapy Course.


By popular demand, we’ve also increased the speed of elevators and platforms, making the gameplay noticeably more dynamic.

[h2]Controls[/h2]

Many players mentioned discomfort when jumping due to the character’s behavior in the air. We’ve reworked the controls: the character now responds more precisely, jumps farther, and excessive inertia has been nearly eliminated.

[h2]Gamepad Support[/h2]

You can now get comfortable, grab your favorite controller, and explore the clinic with ease. The game also works flawlessly on Steam Deck!


[h2]More Skins![/h2]

The cosmetics lineup has been expanded: you can now purchase a stylish squirrel jacket for lollipops and try on a trendy hairstyle with glasses. We’re sure that whoever completes the full set first will instantly recognize the reference to a well-known character.


[h2]Visuals and Optimization[/h2]

Most levels have undergone “renovation” - locations are now more interesting and varied. We also noticed that many players prefer low or medium settings, so we’ve reworked those presets to ensure the game still looks appealing without overloading the system.


[h2]Animations[/h2]

Several bugs that broke character animations have been fixed - no more running around with your arms constantly raised. We also reworked the jump animation: now you can see the character tucking their legs mid-air, which helps with squeezing through tight spaces and landing on distant platforms.

[h2]Balance and Enemy Behavior[/h2]

We removed Chain Stun from scientist projectiles and added enemy hit reactions. Opponents have also become smarter - you can no longer freely beat up a guard from behind while they’re chasing another patient.

[h2]Sound Design[/h2]

Some sounds have been reworked, and all emotes now have their own voice lines.

[h2]Lollipops from Enemies[/h2]

In this patch, we added a full mechanic for enemies dropping lollipops. Now the reward for defeating them is much more noticeable, giving players extra motivation to fight both regular enemies and the boss. The boss, by the way, drops more than 25 lollipops! And in the “Therapy Course” mode, defeating the boss grants the very same experimental sample that you need to carry to the end of the level.

Thank you for your feedback and support! We’ll keep working to make the game better with every update.

Follow us on our other social media to stay up to date with all the news:

Early Access, Patch #1: Hot on the Trail

[p]Patients, attention! This is the first Early Access patch![/p][p]It's been just a moment since launch, so let's call these fixes "hot on the trail." We've been gathering your feedback all weekend and have prepared a small pack of fixes.[/p][p][/p][h3]So, what's changed:[/h3][p][/p][h3]📢 KEY CHANGES[/h3]
  1. [p]Improved character control responsiveness during jumps. Platforming sections feel much better now.[/p]
  2. [p]Made design changes to the fan and bridge level. We felt your pain...[/p]
  3. [p]Pills are now twice as effective at reducing insanity.[/p]
  4. [p]Taking a pill now always grants a new ability. The chance to "recharge" the current one has been removed.[/p]
  5. [p]Added a "Total Insanities" field to profile statistics.[/p]
  6. [p]Increased the range for helping stuck allies.[/p]
  7. [p]Added sound effects to some emotions.[/p]
  8. [p]Disabled the ability to run around the lobby in unpurchased skins.[/p]
[h3]🔧 IMPROVEMENTS AND FIXES[/h3]
  1. [p]Fixed an issue preventing some candies from being collected.[/p]
  2. [p]Added an interaction area in the ventilation shaft of the frost puzzle room.[/p]
  3. [p]Fixed laser eye sound persisting after switching abilities.[/p]
  4. [p]Fixed a display issue with other players' nicknames in diagnoses.[/p]
[p][/p][p]That's all for now.[/p][p]And we continue, rolling up our sleeves, to work on other bugs. We still have a list of 30+ items left. And that's just the ones marked "important" 😁[/p][p][/p][p]We greatly appreciate your feedback because your reviews and suggestions are the best medicine for our game.[/p][p]If you find a bug or have a cool idea for the game, share it in our Discord community. We read every message![/p][p]And if you enjoy the game and want to share your bright impressions, please leave a review on Steam. It helps us a lot.[/p]

Diagnosis: Early Access

[h2]Patients, attention![/h2]

The time has come. S.E.M.I. is officially in Early Access!

Buy it, gift it to friends, leave your reviews. Until November 27, the game is available with a 15% discount:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3957560/
Opening the doors to S.E.M.I. is just the beginning. In the coming days, our main focus will be on bug hunting. We will do everything to make escaping from the psychiatric clinic as comfortable as possible.

We will talk about our further post-release plans later.

[h2]Where to find fellow patient accomplices?[/h2]

Organizing an escape alone can be difficult. Bring your friends! S.E.M.I supports up to 4 players in a run. You can find companions in our Discord:

https://discord.gg/semigame

Join the voice channels, tell everyone about yourself, and look for your "one and only" roommate. But please, follow the rules - we won't let unruly patients into the ward.

Also, on our Discord server, we are giving away 2 keys for S.E.M.I. The conditions are described on the server - you can manage it even without the pills:

https://discord.gg/semigame

See you in the ward!

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Demo is closed — Early Access in 6 hours!

[p]Thank you to everyone who played the S.E.M.I. — Side Effects May Include demo 💊[/p][p][/p][p]We’ve taken it offline to make way for the Early Access launch — going live today at 4 PM GMT (just 6 hours to go!) ⏰[/p][p][/p][p]Over the past (almost) two months, more than 75,000 people played the demo — wow![/p][p]It was loud, chaotic, and a total blast.[/p][p][/p][p]To everyone who joined in: thanks for your feedback, memes, and all the love.[/p][p]Now it’s time for the full dose 💥[/p]

Playtest: Medical Record

[h2]Patients, attention![/h2]

The recent playtest has been diagnosed as “excellent.” The numbers speak for themselves - according to our doctors’ estimates, our patients have:
  • Swallowed 9,180 pills
  • Picked up 30,600 candies

On average, you collected 100 candies per run, and our most devoted sweet tooths reached a record-breaking 150 candies! Your playtests helped us prepare for the release of S.E.M.I. even better. Thank you!

The escape plan is ready: the full version of the game will be available on November 20. Make sure to add S.E.M.I. to your wishlist so you don’t miss the release!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3957560/SEMI__Side_Effects_May_Include/
[h2]Game Copies Giveaway[/h2]

As a thank-you for your activity during the playtest, we’re giving away 2 copies of the game on our Discord server. Two random participants will receive their keys. It’s simple: hop into Discord and join the giveaway!

https://discord.gg/semigame

Don’t miss our release - follow us on social media to be among the first to escape: