Back in 2010, hardware company Razer announced a gaming-enhancing intravenous liquid called Venom, in what turned out to be an April Fools' Day joke. Due to a surge in interest in real mental-enhancement beverages since (and a horrifying amount of fan interest in an IV-delivered serum), Razer has now actually produced its own drink, named Respawn. Obviously, we had to try it for ourselves.

Respawn is not, Razer insists, an energy drink. Nor do you consume it through an IV. Rather, the company calls it a "mental performance" beverage seizing the nootropics trend. Theoretically, it's meant to let you play better, for longer. So what better way to put it to the test than to consume it while gaming? In the video below, you can watch me try out the drink and track its effects while taking on fellow hardware analyst and gaming enthusiast Chris Stobing in a few rounds of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

I was the guinea pig for this experiment, while Chris served as the control by sticking to good old coffee. What was the end result? I trounced him. Now, I'll give a disclaimer that Chris didn't have any prior experience in the Nintendo Switch edition of the game, having mostly played Melee for years, so I won't exactly attribute my superior performance to Respawn. But I also won't say it didn't help—the gameplay can do the talking.

Want to know more about the drink? It comes in the form of powder which Razer recommends you mix into 16 to 20 ounces of water. The powder comes in four flavors: Blue Raspberry, Green Apple, Pomegranate Watermelon, and Tropical Pineapple. We were also sent a branded shaker, but that's sold separately.

The reason Razer isn't calling it an energy drink is because of the ingredients, which are designed to avoid a high and crash. The sugar and caffeine present in most energy drinks are usually what brings that on, so Respawn is a sugar-free beverage. It does have about 95 milligrams of caffeine per serving, which is about the amount in the average cup of coffee. That said, the nootropic aspect of the drink (namely the inclusion of a supplement known as theanine), is made to balance the caffeine content, providing a smooth boost that doesn't result in as much of a performance rollercoaster as you would get from a standard energy drink.

Respawn also includes Niacin (16 milligrams), Vitamin B6 (1.7 milligrams), Vitamin B12 (2.4 milligrams), Pantothenic Acid (5 milligrams), and Choline (48 milligrams). There's also Green Tea Extract, Sunflower Oil, Ground Ginger, and more. There's only 20 calories in each serving.

Tropical Pineapple is my favorite flavor, as it's the most mild, followed by Pomegranate Watermelon. I disliked Blue Raspberry as it's very sweet and potent, while Green Apple is decent. They all certainly have a candy-like flavor, but they're not as overpowering as their colors would imply. I dislike artificial sweeteners, and this drink has that distinct flavor.

As for how it made me feel, I'll avoid making any sort of medical claims on my or Razer's behalf. But while playing, I maintained feeling on the edge of being wired, but I never quite went over that edge to uncomfortable, and I did feel more alert. Tongue-in-cheek comments about my performance aside, I won't claim it truly made me better at the game, but being that much more mentally present can certainly help reaction times.

I didn't get the shakes or have an immediate crash, either, but myself and several others did encounter dull headaches a few hours later. It happened to three of us across different days, decreasing the chances of it being coincidental. That part didn't make it into the video, since the headache didn't come on until a few hours later.

I'm sure the ingredients interact with everyone differently, and the taste isn't as offensive as we anticipated. While it may not be up my alley, several of my colleagues enjoy it and continue to drink our samples. If you're interested in these types of beverages, Respawn is worth a taste test.