TASMON: Taskbar Monsters is a free-to-play idle RPG designed to run in the background on PC. Players maintain a party of three monsters that handle combat automatically while the computer is in use or idle, returning with eggs and loot for collection and upgrades.
Gameplay
The core loop centers on monster collection and incremental progression. Eggs hatch into one of 156 species across ten rarity tiers, from common to celestial. Monsters evolve and advance through a six-stage awakening process, with same-species awakenings providing guaranteed progress and off-species results relying on shards. Reaching the highest awakening level transforms a monster into a unique Soul-Sealed Weapon marked with a serial number.
Elemental affinities add strategy to team composition. Fire, water, wind, and earth form a cycle of advantages and disadvantages, while light and dark provide additional options. Gear drops combine through fusion and etching systems, with all drop rates visible in the interface. A recent combat overhaul gives each monster its own health pool, allowing targeted damage and individual knockouts rather than shared party health.
The Woodcut starter pack expands these systems by allowing recruitment of the second hero option from the Heroes update. Players switch between original, fallen, and awakened forms on icons, portraits, and party screens. Bulk crafting lets users set rarity and level caps to process stored gear in batches, excluding equipped or locked items, with a preview of required materials.
Game Modes
Auto-battling forms the foundation, running continuously in the taskbar without constant input. The Gauntlet provides escalating challenge stages that test elemental defenses and awakened power. The Heroes update introduced a dedicated challenge mode where players select a partner and progress through staged battles on normal or death difficulty, unlocking recruitment and further awakenings upon completion.
Weekly updates incorporate community suggestions through an in-game box, adding new monsters and adjustments over time. These modes emphasize long-term collection and optimization rather than real-time control.
Progression and Systems
Progress tracks separately for each recruited partner in the Heroes system, enabling players to experience distinct story paths. Loot hunting focuses on disclosed probabilities for gear with multiple slots, options, and unique effects. The taskbar format keeps the experience accessible during other activities, with quick checks for team adjustments and inventory management.
Is It Worth Playing?
TASMON suits players who enjoy idle collection games and background progression on PC. The free-to-play model includes core monster hunting, awakening, and elemental team building without upfront cost. Recent updates have added depth through the Heroes challenge mode and individual health mechanics. Reviews describe the taskbar concept and serial-number weapons as distinctive, though the overall reception remains mixed. Those seeking a low-maintenance RPG with ongoing content updates will find the systems rewarding for gradual advancement.