Review — People Of Note

People Of Note

We sit down and review People Of Note. A new turn-based RPG with a load of Rhythm added in. Here is our review of People Of Note.

It is time to get those instruments tuned, and vocals warmed up, as People Of Note is out there on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC. The latest title that Iridium Studios and Annapurna have placed out there to get us all a little more musically inclined. Well, at least a little bit, as this turn-based RPG leans into the realms of music in so many ways. Both in the setting of People Of Note, along with some fun rhythm-based mechanics mixed into the title. It does sound off, and we are here with our review of the gameplay to let you all know if it works out. It is time to let the stanza play out and see if this is going to be a title that will bring more musical light. If anything, give us a new way to experience a classic style of gaming.

Story

Things are not going so well for Candace in the world, as she has been shut out of the massive Noteworthy Song Contest going on. Not to be let down by it all, Candace sets out to form a new band to try to get back into the mix. Doing so will require her to find artists from all over the lands and from different musical genres. All to try and blend it all perfectly together. Although there might be a little bit of a hiccup in the mix of all of that, as there is a Harmonic Convergence flowing into the world and causing all manner of other issues. So, now Candace needs to create a new band, quell some issues in the lands, and try to play that perfect song that will save the world from the musical energies playing havoc out there.

Hated

People Of Note is all about keeping the rhythm and playing the fights almost as you would songs. I mean, each “round” of the fight is called a stanza, and we are throwing bars in the mix of things. To go along with all of that, each attack and ability in the game has us trying to mash a different button to the beat during the fights. All to help dictate how well the attack lands on the opponents out there. It is something that is fun and unique, until you realize that it is something that needs to happen with each action in the game ad nauseam. Not just to deal extra damage in People Of Note, which would have been fine, but it also defines if you are doing the weakest amount of damage possible if you do not engage with the feature. While it makes total sense in the game why it is all there, it would be nice if it were only needed to perform the bigger attacks and abilities, and optional when it comes to basic attacks. Especially when you will need to repeat many of the basic attacks many times to build up to the larger ones. Missing a beat can determine so much in the combat, and when you have to cycle through the base attack so many times, it gets annoying fairly quickly.

Another thing that seems to hold People Of Note from being a perfect title has to be some of the traversal in the world. While not a full platformer, there are a few elements that play out like it in the game. In all different lands, and to solve various puzzles to progress through them all. While these are generally indicated by arrows and directions to press to start the movement, there are so many in the game that are close together or will just trigger by walking by them. Most of the time, you can quickly backtrack, but there were a few times in People Of Note that it was just easier to take a longer path around, or have to walk insanely slowly by one, so it did not trigger the animation in general. Thankfully, it never broke the experience in People Of Note completely, but it did make me want to skip a few puzzles along the way in the game. Especially when it felt like this could have had the added feature of pressing the confirm button beforehand, as we have to do that with everything else the character interacts with in the game. A slight tweak, and this would have quickly been off the “hated” list that I have when it comes to the experience.

Lastly, I have to gripe on the equipment, inventory, and Songstone system in People Of Note. This is where we boost all of our stats or set up the abilities that we can use in the game. Something that could have been a little more straightforward, or add something big to the game, but it comes down to just a numbers game. None of them seems to change any of the cosmetics, and they are all listed in a generic way, so it pretty much boiled down to just auto-equipping items when I bought them. Given how much fun the team seemed to have making up the names and description of these items, some including some great music puns, it feels like a miss to not have them show up in the game in some other way. Especially when they are all picked up as kinds of “Band Merch” in People Of Note. Another thing that is hammered home before we even get past the second location on the map, yet it all came down to names and which stat it bumped, if any. Even if it only showed up in the fights or basic wandering locations, that would have been fine, but the lack of this made me not want to truly collect or search for any of it when it came to the game.

Loved

I am a huge sucker for music and musicals, which is what caught my eye for People Of Note in the first place. I knew it was going to have a lot of musical themes in the mix, but the game’s story is pushed forward with some amazing and original musical numbers in the game. They also happen to be some of the few portions of the game that are fully animated, and it is insanely well done. Made only better as more members of the band join in to make the musical numbers something truly inspiring in People Of Note. There are a lot of them in the game, and my wish for more only comes from the fact that it would give me so much more to love about the game, and not that I found them lacking in any way. Especially when these all could have been quick and basic things in the mix, but the team and performers leaned into all of it so well. Even if turn-based RPGs are not your thing, at least find a way to watch the story and the massive scenes from this one, as I am sure anyone who has a love of music will fall in love with these. Maybe, even want to add them to a playlist to listen to outside of the game. A rare instance where I see the need for a soundtrack to be available for a video game out there.

In addition to the music, the world and setting of People Of Note felt like the team took a lot of care to build out there. Even when it was annoying to get around at times, each area felt like the genre of music it was representing, while also having it play out in the background. The first major instance I clocked this is when you get to the “Metal” area, and you can move from district to district with the different subtypes of Metal taking the stage and playing out, when they could have taken the easy path out of it all and just gone generic. Even when it came to character names and the animals in the lands of People Of Note, they made sure the music element shone through. From the Acorgian to the Stagpipes, little puns like this are laced everywhere. Even when it comes to the boss and other main characters, they get the same treatment. This all goes beyond the silliness of labeling “rounds” and stanzas, as mentioned before. It felt like a true world that was built, and not one that just had the music and rhythm gameplay slapped on so the team could make claims of it being something other than a basic turn-based RPG.

Lastly, even though this was a mixed bag for me when it came to People Of Note, the rhythm-based combat in the game was a lot of fun in the moments it was needed. While I mentioned it was something I wished could have been dialed back from being every attack, when it came to some of the bigger attacks, it actually felt good to play out. Not only that, but also making sure that the synergy between the current music playing, which would give you a stat bump for the stanza, or planning for the attacks to land in the correct order to make the biggest impact; it was all a lot of fun. It feels off to hate on it moments ago, and then sing its praises here, but it was a system in People Of Note that worked better than expected. A perfect system if there was a setting to make it not required on all attacks, or allow for some auto presses after having completed it umpteen times. That or only make it needed in the massive Mashup attacks to land harder by getting all members involved on the same beat as we play it out. I would not be trying to make it a better system if I did not enjoy it. I would be asking to remove it completely, so take that as you will.

Overview

Hands down, People Of Note is worth the time and money for those of you who love a good musical or a good turn-based RPG. Even with some of its faults, the shiny parts make the whole experience worth it. More so, when you look at the negative bits I found could mostly be fixed through some basic settings or slight changes, and not a whole reworking of the game. Sure, it would have been nice to have something cosmetic show up as gear was changed, but that is something for the small group out there like me. The rest feel like annoyances, or gameplay elements that we can all just get used to in the game. Even if you are not into turn-based RPG games, head out there and see the story and music from People Of Note. We have a bit of gameplay below to give you the idea, as it is one of the bigger stars in the game, and needs to be seen and heard by everyone out there. That way, you can see only the glorious bits without needing to fight through some of the parts that I was nagging on above.

I give People Of Note 92 Vinyl Records on the Vinyl Record scale.

People Of Note — Hades Plays The Game (Part 1) [PS5 Gameplay]

People Of Note was developed by Iridium Studios and published by Annapurna for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC on April 7^th, 2026. A PlayStation copy of the game was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes.