The Steam catalog is enriched with hundreds of video games each week, some in "free to play" format allowing Valve platform users to enjoy multiple titles without paying anything at all. Additionally, the most renowned digital store in the PC gaming world is also the ideal platform for some independent proposals to debut and reach a wide and varied audience that can boost their offering. The party game format became especially popular during the pandemic, as it allowed people to play entertaining games with friends without leaving home.

In this context, Among Us was the main attraction during 2020, but today proposals continue to emerge that invite groups of friends to gather and have great times at their PCs while trying to unmask someone attempting to deceive them. The new phenomenon that has captured the attention of Valve platform players is called Liar's Bar, gathering no less than 110,000 simultaneous players in its first weeks on the digital store's catalog with its early access release.

An impressive milestone considering that Liar's Bar only features two mini-games at the moment, something its creators hope to expand significantly when the game is complete and exits the early access period. It has certainly captured players' attention with its initial offering, making it a title worth following for any updates from here on out. But what exactly is Liar's Bar's proposal?

A game about finding the biggest liar in the group

Liar's Bar's description makes its premise clear: lying is the key to victory, but you have to do it the right way, or the outcome will be fatal. "Dive into this online multiplayer game set in a suspicious bar where the games are as dangerous as the patrons. Join a table of 4 and test your skills in Liar's Dice and Liar's Deck, where lying is key to survival. Can you survive the night at Liar's Bar?" reads the title's summary on the official Steam page.

With this premise, players can enjoy two different variants. In the title developed by Curve Animation studio, players can choose between four different characters: a buffalo, a fox, a dog, and a pig, each with their own style and personality. After choosing a character, players can decide which of the two mini-games they want to try. The first one is a card challenge where players must play a card from their deck that matches the one on the table. At any time, a player can accuse another of lying. If the accusation is correct, the accused must take their revolver and point it at their head.

The gun has one bullet in a six-chamber drum, meaning the accused player has a chance of survival and continuing in the game. However, if the bullet fires, the player is eliminated from the game and can no longer participate in that match. This system creates a tense and exciting environment, as each accusation and turn can mean the difference between advancing or being eliminated, while also generating different deception strategies among participants, as some may bluff or make false accusations to emerge victorious.

The other game mode has a similar dynamic, but this time the action takes place with a dice game. In this mode, each player rolls six dice and makes a bet on the value they believe they have in their roll. The next player must raise the bet, making the game progressively riskier. The round continues with each player increasing the bet until someone decides to accuse another of lying, in a process very similar to Davy Jones' game from the Pirates of the Caribbean saga. Here, the penalty isn't a firearm but something equally deadly: the accused player must drink from a flask containing poison, so the outcome is the same.

A Steam launch that surpasses major productions like Diablo IV

The Liar's Bar phenomenon on Steam is so significant that it has even surpassed the numbers achieved by major productions like Diablo IV, one of the most anticipated titles in recent years. A figure of over 110,000 users that few titles achieve nowadays, especially without a prior marketing campaign to promote the game through various channels. The key to Liar's Bar's success lies in its fun proposal and the cooperative gameplay that creates a very appealing gameplay loop for friends seeking new experiences.

It's still too early to know how far Liar's Bar can go, so it will depend on community support and Curve Animation's backing over the coming months, which seems crucial to prevent the title from losing interest and falling into oblivion. The introduction of new mini-games that bring freshness could be decisive for players wanting to continue discovering what it can offer as they keep looking for the biggest liar in their group.