As one of the largest platforms for playing PC games, Steam boasts an extensive library of titles, ranging from AAA releases to tiny indie games. With a library of over 130,000 games, it’s impressive when any single game manages to stand out and become the number one trending title on the platform. It’s even more impressive when that game is a completely free game released by a small independent developer.
At the time of writing, the top trending game on Steam is TBH: Task Bar Hero, according to SteamDB. With over 133,000 players, it has nearly 100,000 more than the second top-trending game, the recently released 007 First Light. Although this is an impressive achievement regardless of the reasons behind it, I do think it’s worth mentioning why a game like Task Bar Hero would be able to surpass a major release like this in terms of popularity. This little idle game’s success likely doesn’t just come down to being a fun game.
One obvious contributor to TBH: Task Bar Hero‘s success is the fact that it’s free. I’m sure I’m not the only one who would love to help inflate the player count of 007 First Light, but can’t currently justify dropping $69.99 on it. Task Bar Hero is also a tiny game, easy to install and try out. By the time I navigated from its store page to my library to find it, it had already finished downloading and was ready to play. With no significant barriers to entry, it makes sense that more people would want to check it out.
Another appealing aspect that likely led to the game’s popularity is the fact that it is an idle game, designed to run on its own on your task bar. You can click and drag the tiny screen to wherever you want, and your little pixelated adventurer will fight monsters without the need for any input. You can let loot and upgrades pile up, then just collect them as you see fit. Because you can leave this game running while doing other things, it’s no surprise there are more active players on it than games that require your full attention.
So, as anyone who saw it on top of Steam’s trending list is probably wondering, is TBH: Task Bar Hero worth playing? Personally, I didn’t get much out of my time with the game. Its constant loot drops and level ups made it a little more distracting than I would’ve liked for a game designed to be a background activity. The game also has mixed reviews, with players complaining about the balance of the classes and the trading system.
If you are less easily distracted than me and would like to have a mostly hands-off game running while you work on your computer, then TBH: Task Bar Hero is fine. I wasn’t wowed by it, but it also costs nothing, and it installed in seconds, so it doesn’t hurt to try it yourself. Its pixel art is also very charming, making the game nice to look at. That said, its place on the top of Steam‘s trending games, may give the wrong impression of its overall quality.
- Brand
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Valve
- Original Release Date
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September 12, 2003