What Beats Rock

Rock-paper-scissors with infinite choices

turn-based casual funny creative chaotic single-player collaborative deduction absurd ai-based

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What is What Beats Rock?

What Beats Rock is turn-based, AI-powered word game in which players try to build the longest possible chain of things that "beat" other things.

In the standard game, the chain starts with finding something that beats Rock, with no repeats allowed.

Thoughts on gameplay

The standard game is very clever and charming, and its inherent open-endedness leaves tons of room for both imagination and strategy.

The player community has also developed a number of game variants. While I find myself returning to the base version of the game, some of the variants are very clever and others are good for a chuckle.

Why it's good

What Beats Rock is a great casual experience and a fun game to show to others. It's also enjoyable solo.

Zooming out a bit, the core mechanic of creative one-upmanship is one of those things that is newly possible with AI. It's exciting. Like Infinite Craft, when I play What Beats Rock, it gets my wheels turning about what the future of gaming might look like.

And zooming back in, this is just a fun, charming, pick-up-and-play experience that is definitely worth taking for a spin.

John