RPGs, especially turn-based RPGs, are very closely tied to their music. People of Note, by Iridium Studios and Annapurna Interactive, intertwines gameplay and music, not just through a great soundtrack that amplifies gameplay, but by making the gameplay a key factor in how the music evolves. What Iridium Studios has made is wholly unique, and something that turn-based RPG fans will not want to miss.
Like other games that focus on music, People of Note is about a battle of the bands. The demo starts with Cadence, a pop singer. She needs to recruit band members just to compete. Yet the challenge of doing this is that the world is completely dedicated to the realm of music. People are divided into their love of different genres and even subgenres.
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Division has grown between everyone. So the true challenge is not just finding those who may mix well with Cadence’s sound, but finding bandmates who will even agree to combine their music interests with someone they think is alien to their way of life.
Cadence and Fret are opposites that clash and combine.
The story of Cadence and her journey is greatly boosted by the supporting cast in just a short taste. Every person you interact with helps shape this world to be living and breathing. Particularly once you meet the first bandmate to join her, Fret. Fret is an older, classic-rock guitarist who now lives as a hermit after his bandmate left him.
Fret is very oldschool, and his coming to accept Cadence as a musician and a person is quite heartwarming. What may be surprising to just about every player isn’t the dialogue but the fully animated music video featuring Fret and Cadence. A three-to-four-minute music video completely reshapes your perception of the game. Specifically, by showing that Iridium Studios just loves music.
They get how different genres mesh together to create wonderfully catchy songs. Cadence and Fret’s writing clashes, first as a war between Pop and Classic Rock, and ends with a newer form of both coming together. Tie character building to the song, and the final product can’t help but make you feel optimistic.
People of Note uses music notation to build a unique RPG experience.
Similarly, People of Note has made music a key part of its turn-based combat. Battles are “performances,” turns are “stanzas,” and “mash-ups” are Super Mario RPG–esque team-up attacks. The game’s renaming of classic RPG mechanics isn’t where it stops. The battle music is catchy and changes based on whose turn it is. For instance, battling some country players will have a more battle-focused song play that sounds like a country riff.
The true spectacle is when styles and time signatures come into play as the demo rolls on. Styles amplify a band member’s ability powers. On one turn, the guitar style will be active, so Fret can deal more damage or heal more. On another, the vocal style will be active, amplifying Cadence’s abilities.
Then, time signatures dictate how a whole stanza plays out. A 4/3 time signature will mean that your party can take four actions, and the enemy will take three. Buffs and debuffs shape how this changes in your favor, or hinder your strategy.
All of this is unfolding as the music ever changes. The song that’s playing may catch you off guard as much as a big attack. Bosses especially show just how creative the developers can be with their take on the genre. Bosses grow more powerful as fights go on, dealing not only more damage, but also changing how the fight advances.
Boss fights are as much about learning how their songs play as figuring out how to adapt to them.
The final boss of the demo, as an example, will eventually make the stanza have a debuff on the very first action of a turn, like 50 percent less damage for whatever action is taken right at the start of that turn. That’s just a part of the stanza until the end of the battle.
Ultimately, bosses amplify and force a strategy change, becoming a race against time. Not against personal resources running out, but being drowned out by the boss and their rockin’ sound. Redoing fights and switching out equipped abilities, equipment, and changing how each character rests are all a part of the experiment to efficiently beat each boss. The fights are as much about learning how the boss plays their song and you figuring out how to adapt and have an answer for everything they throw at you.
People of Note is not only for music lovers, but teaches anyone how to appreciate music.
The game isn’t all action and music. A fun side activity was also highlighted in the demo, “Theoretical Battles.” Think of these as challenge fights, with set party members, skills, actions, and turns. These are shockingly fun puzzles, each with a clear correct answer.
Getting the whole strategy wrong ends the fight, even if there’s only one enemy left with a single HP. Most importantly, these fights help teach the game’s key mechanics for battles, and show what exactly is possible just by using every resource available to you.
People of Note is as wonderfully artistic as it is fun to play. This demo has quickly cranked the game up to one of my most anticipated titles this year. The synergy of a music-focused game and turn-based combat is excellently executed, with a story that refuses to let go of your attention.
After just a couple of hours, Iridium Studios has shown that they can make a game not only for music lovers, but teaches anyone how to appreciate music.
People of Note is scheduled for release in 2026 on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
