Not sure where "side effects" comes into play, but I really like how the tutorial looks like it's written by an actual pirate.
Viewing post in The Grand Escape jam comments
Same reply just as above:
The side-effects will be noticeable when you progress further. With my friend, we managed to upgrade our weapon to a machine-gun. There is this funny math going on when you pick up power-up and health. It will not only upgrade your weapon for 7 seconds but it will slightly improve your shooting rate and turn rate persistently.