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It’s been a long time since rhythm mechanics have moved beyond Guitar Hero and Rock Band to enable great releases in action games, like Crypt of the Necrodancer, BPM: Bullets Per Minute, and Hi-Fi Rush. It is rarely used in role-playing games, and then only in quick events to make attacks or defenses stronger. But People of Note is an upcoming RPG that not only implements rhythm into combat, but weaves music throughout the entire package, from combat and items to the characters and world around you.
People of Note takes place in a fantasy world divided into lands centered around musical genres. The game begins with Cadence, a singer who dreams of global stardom and must leave the pop-land of Chordia to form a band if she has any hope of winning the Eurovision-like dream contest. Like any good RPG, she’ll have to travel to other lands (in this case, the countries of rock, electronic music, and rap) to form unlikely allies to create a harmonious sound that breaks barriers and defeats enemies on her way to stardom.
I had to play a short demo to explore it about 90 minutes before the game, which launches on April 7, is certainly unique. Less revolutionary in its mechanics than combining RPGs with the trappings of music, People of Note seems tailor-made for performers and musical theater nerds who want to see their art represented in fantasy games for a change. It’s more of a Kingdom Hearts game than a solid stats-based RPG, but that makes it more accessible to music newbies (like me).
Gameplay revolves around classic RPG elements of turn-based battles and gaining levels; The game’s creative director Jason Wishnoff cited Final Fantasy 9 and Chrono Cross as inspiration.
But People of Note has a lot of music, including in-game musical performances. Some of the main characters’ voice acting is split between spoken and singing talents, such as main character Cadence (voiced by Heather Gonzalez, and sung by artist LEXXE). Others have one performer for both, such as party member Fret (voiced and sung by Jason Charles Miller of the industrial rock band Godhead).
People of Note’s battle system is a classic turn-based RPG with musical twists.
This combination seems to set up People of Note to be more of an experimental ride, but there are some hints of depth. People of Note has borrowed some great mechanics from the best RPGs out there, turning the final Final Fantasy action Limit Breaks into a co-op Mash-Up between characters (it’s like double and triple Chrono Trigger techniques). Skills and skill-boosting gems can be swapped in and out of the game like Final Fantasy’s Materia.
Most of People of Note’s innovation lies in remixing core RPG elements with musical flair. In combat, the turn order is visualized at the bottom of the screen as a music track, which shows the number of actions taken by players and enemies. Most of the time, the clip will offer an attack bonus that alternates between musical styles, giving different party members alternating boosts. (Best Songs allow band members to take turns showcasing their stuff in solos.)
People of Note is full of musical jokes – like this hardware retail store, called “3 Stores Down.”
A short trip in the city of rock and roll
My preview opened just after Cadence left Chordia for the land of rock, Durandis, a dusty frontier town fit for the west. I found it to be split between different subgenres, with punk and grunge fans sticking to their neighborhoods rather than blending in with each other.
Soon, Cadence finds herself clinging to the locals to defend against the raiders (who play the banjo and do a little soft dancing). To her rescue comes Frette, a former rock singer, who wants to join her band.
But Fret has his own history of lamenting rock’s division into so many contentious factions that guard each other. He reluctantly joins Cadence as they search for an audience with the biggest local rock singer who can protect the town – and, of course, he’s also Fret’s old bandmate.
As this introduction suggests, People of Note has a playful tone, referencing hipster culture with jokes and jabs. This comes mostly in an endless stream of puns – an NPC named Fretful Man, a birdcage with a sign saying Free Bird, Cadence joking that a raid tore Durandis “to shreds”, etc. Fret’s old bandmate is a local metal star he used to know as Freak (pronounced “weird”) but is known as Quincy these days.
I can see how this barrage of dad jokes could get tiresome over time, but the jokes worked well for me. It fits with the game’s overall perspective that music should be playful, experimental, and fun—not strictly bound by rules and precedents.
The world of People of Note is divided between territories dedicated to different music genres and subgenres – here, for example, is the hideous hideout of heavy rock.
In their quest to talk to Quincy, Cadence and Fret must pass through his lair decorated with heavy metal skulls and flames. Players need to solve the puzzles here, although they can be turned off in the game settings.
Players also have a lot of powerful enemies to defeat. These battles weren’t particularly difficult, especially considering how the game omitted some common RPG frictions, for example, fully healing between battles. Given the location of the demo early in the game, I hope the battles become more complex and vary in difficulty.
At the top of his lair, Quincy awaited us as a boss battle, launching multiple attacks and messing with the player party. Halfway through, the damage dealt during the first action taken during my turn was hampered, forcing me to change my strategy.
I also saw one of the game’s best innovations: bosses power up every few turns, ramping up the tension and forcing players to end battles more quickly for fear of being overpowered.
With Quincy humbled and his fans pledging to protect the city, Cadence and Fret hit the road to the next musical territory for another band member, seeking to further complicate their sound using EDM and rap to craft a truly special mix.
Many games have in-jokes and pop culture references, but People of Note feels fully committed to bringing the musical fantasy land to life, from top to bottom.
In the middle of a movie demo, Cadence breaks into song to get Fret to join in, bringing them to a point where they exchange verses expressing their positions before she wins him over and they harmonize. Like any good musical, the conflict and its resolution are expressed in song, as the characters appear changed and ready for the next part of the journey.
When I watched the cinematic, I noticed that Cadence’s pop-star-style jacket has a bass key woven into its front, while the Fret’s shoe nubs look like tuning pegs for guitar strings — subtle touches that speak volumes to the vision. The game’s simplistic RPG gameplay doesn’t look like it will satisfy the more hardcore fans of the genre looking for a mechanical or strategic challenge, but for those who want to see the game’s fun blend of two worlds, it’s shaping up to be one of the most exciting new games of 2026.