People of Note is an interesting project that tries to combine a classic turn-based game, heavy metal and Disney animated films. If you’re interested in how it looks and sounds, take a look at our report.
We all know that music is an extremely important segment of video games, but it’s not every day that we have the opportunity to play a title in which music is the driving force and the central motif of the story. People of Note is an interesting project that tries to combine turn-based games with colorful graphics and extensive musical sections that even Disney wouldn’t be ashamed of. In the game, we follow Cadence, a young pop singer who tries in vain to reach the status of a world star in her hometown.
After a rude rejection, Cadence realizes that the secret to success is the magical power of friendship™ and heads out into the white world to get her band together and build some new musical bridges. Although the game has not yet seen the light of the stage, we had the opportunity to try a limited demo version in which we explored the famous city of Rock.
As far as the story is concerned, it is very difficult to judge in which direction it will go. But judging by what we tried, it is a charming and clichéd plot, in which differences must be learned to appreciate, and success comes only through the power of togetherness and cooperation. The characterization of the characters here is completely subordinated to the musical genres they embody, so expect a bunch of jokes, jokes and references to numerous genres and their interrelationships, like the mentioned Rock city where neighborhoods (rock genres) can’t stand each other and everyone thinks their style is the only one legit – if you doubt this, try asking the average punk what he thinks of AC/DC!
I noticed that every major moment in the game would be accompanied by an excellent musical section. When I say excellent, I can’t talk about tastes because they are subjective, but we are talking about directed scenes that are well recorded and sung by aurally visibly talented actors. And considering that all major genres will be represented through the game, such as techno, rock, pop, country, hip-hop, and the like, these sections could easily become the best parts of the entire game.
As for the gameplay, it’s a standard turn-based game where you have to watch your health and armor while making proper use of your characters’ specific powers. Certain attacks will require you to have fast reflexes, but don’t expect the anxiety and pressure of an Expedition 33, everything here is much slower.
Despite that, the combat is very interesting, at least when you’re fighting the big bosses. I found these smaller, fleeting fights against drunken country singers and aggressive washed-up rockers a little boring because they’re just long enough to be tiring, yet not challenging enough to justify the investment of time: from the first moment you know you’ll win without any problems, but you still have to spend 5-10 minutes in the inevitable conflict.
Of course, each of your characters in the battle genre has certain abilities that are more pronounced when the move is inspired by his musical style, and the biggest attack is achieved with a so-called mashup, that is, a joint attack that mixes styles into one devastating blow.
Each fight gives you experience points and some money with which you can buy various amplifiers and modifiers that make you stronger or more resistant. The classic formula is much more pronounced once you run into the bosses, which are very difficult and unforgiving of mistakes, so be prepared to repeat and analyze every move over and over again.
People of Note has several interesting novelties, such as the one where the bosses gradually get stronger and gain new attacks during the fight, which forces you to take a more aggressive and often risky approach because each of their new crescendos comes in the form of increased damage or other musical-magical attacks that can rip off your moves, steal armor or take away abilities – take my word for it, you don’t want a garage piston hitting you in the head with a guitar.
Outside of combat, you can solve puzzles or roam regions, talking to various characters and doing side quests for extra pocket money or a new Dua Lipa-style microphone.
Although we only had 90 minutes and only one region at our disposal, it seemed to us that the world, although full of references and quirks, was somehow empty and uninteresting, but for a more serious assessment we will have to wait for the full version, which arrives faster than we expected.
According to the latest information, People of Note will be released on 4/7 of this year, for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2.