Harmonix Shows Off Freestyle Guitar Solos For Rock Band 4

Rock Band developers Harmonix stopped by New York City last week to preview the latest installment, Rock Band 4.

In the video above, Harmonix PR Lead Nick Chester shows off the big gameplay addition, freestyle guitar solos. As the name suggests, the solos allow players to be more flexible in their playing — rather than hitting the exact right note at the exact right time, you can just follow some general guidelines. During the freestyle sections, you’re still scored, but you can’t fail.

I tried the freestyle feature out for myself, and even though I had no idea what I was doing, it sounded halfway decent (I think). Still, it’s probably for the best that Chester was the only one whose playing was captured on camera.

Rock Band 4 is scheduled for release in October on PlayStation 4 and XBox One. It was first announced in March, with new songs revealed yesterday.