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Rock Band 4 adds Brutal Mode tomorrow

Think you're an expert? Harmonix is laughing in your face as it prepares to unleash Brutal Mode on Rock Band 4 as part of tomorrow's free feature update.

Ozzie Mejia

December 7, 2015 12:14 PM

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After years of playing plastic instruments, there are some people out there that might fancy themselves experts. (Not to toot my own horn, but I can hang in Expert for most songs.) So perhaps those self-professed experts will be interested in a whole new game mode coming to Rock Band 4 as part of the previously-revealed December update.

Brutal Mode will modify a song's note track to adjust to well someone is playing. Those that are doing well will start to notice the track get harder as it goes. In fact, the notes will disappear entirely, requiring total memorization to get through! Those that can survive the intensified difficulty of Brutal Mode will be rewarded with Crimson Stars, the newest reward that goes beyond the Gold Star. Check out Brutal Mode in action in the video below.

Meanwhile, the Harmonix DLC machine rolls out with three new tracks. The following songs will be made available tomorrow for $1.99 each:

• Between the Buried and Me - "The Coma Machine"
• Opeth - "Heir Apparent"
• Symphony X - "Nevermore"

These DLC tracks will be made available tomorrow. The December feature update, which will include Brutal Mode and Variable Breakneck Speed, will also arrive tomorrow and that will be free to all Rock Band 4 users.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?