Play rock, paper, scissors with musical cowboys

The lonesome but spirited march of Western music and a stripe of desert sunset forms the backdrop of a creative new game called Rhythm Ranger, where you battle outlaw cowboys on a speeding train in games of rhythm rock, paper, scissors.

Each of three arrow keys (up, right, left) represents your rock, paper or scissors gesture. Your foe will be gesturing in a pattern, switching his moves in time with the music, so that you can watch and learn when the sign you want to counter will appear and press the right button.

So you're sort of dancing and sort of fighting at rock, paper, scissors, and it sounds complicated but it's really not, and I can't believe someone came up with this. It's very stylish-looking, too.

You can sign up for updates on Rhythm Ranger from developer Toasty Games, who's building the game based on a jam prototype called The Rock the Paper and the Scissors. The prototype serves as something of a demo, and you can download it here for free or with a donation if you'd like.rhythmranger