People of Note Hands-On Preview – Saving the World One Note at a Time
RPG fans will want to watch for this next title by publisher Annapurna and developer Iridium Studios, as it’s a spin on the classic turn-based combat system where music is your ultimate weapon. Tailor-made for fans of music, we recently had the opportunity to try out People of Note to find out what makes this so unique — blending rhythm-based mechanics with heartfelt storytelling, stylish visuals, and a soundtrack that doesn’t just accompany the action but drives it.
Music references adorn almost everything in People of Note. Battle turns are called stanzas, every skill has a musical name (Opening Number, Head Banger, Beat Drop, and so on), and even characters match a musical style in terms of name and personality.
The People of Note in “People of Note”
Led by leading lady Cadence, who has “Be the best!” anime Energy, but with more music infused, she and a crew of bandmates head to a place called Rock City Durandis to, in the cast’s own words, “try something no one has ever heard before, by combining her pop sound with classic rock.” The band has traveled to convince a large group of heavy metal rockers, The Osmiums, to join their cause. Initially, my plain, boring self thought the name in a musical game was a reference to the Osmonds (a real-life musical group), but no —the element Osmium is the densest—or you might say, the heaviest—metal on the periodic table.
Since the group is here to recruit heavy metal rockers, its band’s name fits perfectly, and you’ll find that Iridium Studios (also named after an element on the periodic table) has plenty of fun with naming their characters based on musical references, such as a middle-aged man being named Fret, after the finger strips on a guitar.
A Musical Take on a Classic Genre
Placed into a dungeon of sorts, I navigate around and occasionally got into combat against some rockers. Regular attacks and most special abilities required well-timed button presses to be most effective, somewhat similar to games like Mother 3, Super Mario RPG, or Shadow Hearts.
With more than one music style in the band, musical energy is in flux. Each battle stanza takes on a different style. If a band member’s style is active, their abilities will be boosted. Indicators on screen help to plan accordingly, though I admittedly kinda suck at it, being a beginner and having to battle the sounds of the Tokyo Game Show floor and all.
I do redeem myself a little bit when I solve the light beam puzzles rather easily. These won’t be the only kind of dungeon puzzle present in People of Note, as the trailer shows a quick clip of Cadence running around on what looks to be a tile-type puzzle.
The goateed leader of the Osmiums was the boss I faced off in the demo. During this fight, Mash-Up becomes available, in which two characters combine their skills and share a turn that can have huge impact. Using a Mash-Up will change the battle’s music style, which also impacts the characters. I can definitely see the potential in these mechanics to add a unique layer of depth to the combat in this game. The boss is tough, in part because he’s using “Crescendo,” which makes him more powerful (so buffs) over time and incentivizes a quick kill.
I performed a couple of Mash-Ups and tried my best to think about what actions might work best at what times, and get the boss down to within two or three hits of defeat, but ultimately lost the battle. I had him low, but he got me. That’s rare in a show floor demo — they’re usually ridiculously easy — so I take this as a good sign, especially for those wanting an RPG that actually challenges them.
As is the case with any major gaming convention, my time with the demo was short, but it was enough to tell me that People of Note has something special going for it. Even with all the noise from the busy showfloor at TGS, People of Note’s clever use of musical-themed elements and rhythm-tuned turn-based combat ended up being a big highlight. It was, of course, just a scratch of the game’s surface, but a very promising one, and I cannot wait to see how Iridium Studios manages to harmonize the rest of the game when it arrives sometime in 2026.
People of Note is slated to drop on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC.
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