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I always admired bold developers who don't cower from trying something different rather than following the beaten paths of previously successful titles. Remember Hi-Fi Rush from 2023? That game was dope in all positive ways. It is not by mere chance that I'm mentioning this game exactly. As a matter of fact, People of Note, the game I'm reviewing today, shares many similarities with this Tango Gameworks masterpiece.
Both games came out of the blue; both games share a similar theme – the music – and both games are small indie titles, but that doesn't stop them from putting to shame many high-budget games that simply fail to touch our souls.
Story – Dreams, Doubts, and Determination
One of People of Note's strongest suits is, without a doubt, its fantastic and emotionally pumped narrative. The game will put you in the high heels of Cadence, a very young and talented woman who dreams of becoming a pop singer in the city that breathes music. Chordia, the city where Cadence lives, is hosting a competition in which young, talented singers try to find their place under the music sky.
Chordia takes this competition very seriously; you'll see that at the beginning of the game when you first hear Cadance's angelic voice, which is simply not enough to buy her a spot in the audition, at least. Luckily, our Cadance is not the one to give up that easily, and the beginner sequences will follow her, trying to find a way to prove herself worthy.
When she finally made it, the real struggle began. Now it's time to prepare to actually win the competition, and to do that, she'll have to rise above mediocrity and wake up the music scene that's been in a long slumber of the same boring songs the people of Chordia simply got used to over a long period of time.
Her journey will take her far beyond the Chordia borders in pursuit of musical revelation. All the places she'll visit, all the people she'll meet, will make a huge impact on the creation of her musical identity. All the characters, including Cadance and her best friend Cerrin, who will accompany her on every step of her journey, are flawlessly written.
The voice acting is top-notch as well, even though the game relies more on written conversations than on voiced dialogues, but once those dialogues are employed, the brilliance of voice acting comes forth immediately. All in all, the story in People of Note is really good and will pique your curiosity throughout, all the way until you see the credits.
Gameplay – Exploration Hits the Right Notes, Combat Doesn’t
The gameplay in People of Note can be divided into two sections, one of which is brilliant, and the other one is, let's say, adequate. The brilliant one represents exploration, discovery, and puzzles, including the intricate level design, which is just amazingly created. People of Note, in its core, is an isometric, lite action RPG featuring turn-based combat.
Speaking of exploration and why it is so brilliant, I must mention that the game doesn't feature the in-game map, which can be a bit confusing at first because you'll get lost pretty easily, but this approach will force you to learn the level layouts, and solving objectives, once you finally figure them out, will produce an unmatched feeling of satisfaction.
I remember the first time when I had to actually explore one level to find my way to one objective; it took me like half an hour, but when I finally figured out what I had to do, I was happy as a little child.
The game will throw the occasional puzzles your way, too, although those puzzles are not the hardest ones you'll encounter. What is actually very commendable is the fact that the game never holds your hand; to solve something, you'll have to figure out everything on your own, without excessive pointers and whatnots.
The second segment, which sadly struggles to keep up with the first one, is combat, and I know what you're thinking: turn-based combat rarely is, but I actually approached this game, along with its combat system, very open-minded. Fortunately, last year's GOTY, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, showed us that this system can be extremely fun and satisfying and good if done well; sadly, here, it is not the case.
Once the fight breaks out in People of Note, the battlefield will open up, and you'll always be the first to make a move. You'll have a classic attack option, with a range of damage output you can do, and if you press the attack button to match a small circle perfectly, you'll do the biggest damage. If you executed it poorly, well, expect lower damage output.
Apart from classic attacks, you'll have the option of employing special abilities, which basically do way more damage but have longer reload times, and you'll have the option to heal both you and your companions during the fight. In essence, everything we already see in such combat systems is present here as well, but sadly, without anything significant that might make the encounters interesting.
In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, you're able to dodge and parry; those options are present in Persona games, too, but sadly, not here. The entire combat is very strategic, yes, and the simple maths will always come forth here: do more damage, take less damage, and you'll come out victorious; however, your skills and precise reactions are reduced to a minimum, which is a huge missed opportunity, just saying.
To do more and to take less damage, your equipment will be of huge help, and you'll be able to buy, discover, or win many equipment pieces, ranging from different mics (working as weapons; the theme is the music here, after all), different outfits, or accessories that will boost your stats. If you're not a match for some enemies in the game, simply go and find better equipment.
To say the combat in People of Note is bad wouldn't be an honest statement. It's not bad, per se, but it feels somehow underdeveloped and overly simplified. Whether the devs decided to take a bit bolder step forward, we might talk about the second indie masterpiece here. Now, the game feels good, but due to playing safely when it comes to combat, the opportunity is missed.
Visuals and Performance – A Colourful World That Runs Like a Dream
People of Note is a lovely game whose visuals will warm your heart, and I think this is the most honest explanation for it. Every single frame on screen is a colour bomb. The characters and the environment, including the already-mentioned brilliantly designed levels, are just fantastic and a true testament that high-end visuals with all the modern effects and whatnots are not required to create a beautiful game.
The game uses a colourful, hand-drawn, comic book-like art style that is brilliant in both close character showcases and cutscenes, as well as the actual gameplay sequences. The details and design of all characters are just insane; I love every single one of them because even a simple bouncer in a club has its own distinct look and personality – a very commendable feat for such a small game.
Good visuals luckily don't come with a price, because even though People of Note looks amazing, it plays amazingly too on my PC with the framerate way above average (200+ FPS all the time). So performance-wise, People of Note is very good. My PC is still quite strong, although not as strong as those new machines, but it can handle most of the games quite easily; however, I believe even way weaker configurations will run it with zero problems.
Sounds – A Soundtrack That Steals the Show
Of course, the sounds section deserves special treatment in People of Note because, well, this is a game about the music after all, and I say here and now: Iridium Studios really nailed it with this one. Every song sung either by Cadance or any other character in the game in cutscenes or during competitions is pure gold.
Apart from the amazing soundtrack that deserves at least a digital, if not physical, edition to be sold separately – it is that good – the background-themed music in each level really kills it. I was especially intimidated by the desert section where Cadance is searching for a rock 'n' roll teacher. The constant metal music that plays in those sections of the game gave me goosebumps all the time.
All fighting sections have special soundtracks too, so all in all, in People of Note, the music is the theme, and the music is something you'll fall in love with. Hats off to you, ladies and gentlemen, from Iridium Studios, for such a musical treat you gave us.
Conclusion
Once again, indie titles can sometimes seriously surprise us, and People of Note is luckily one of those titles. Annapurna Interactive gave us Stray, and I thought this was going to be their peak, but no, those guys never cease to amaze, and thank God for that.
People of Note will really warm your heart, provided you love the first thing about the music, but not just that; it will provide a fantastic and emotional story, a beautifully crafted world worthy of exploration, and amazing visuals you'll never get bored with. And, of course, as the cake's very topping, the soundtrack and sound design that will sweep you off your feet.
If you're ready to overlook some minor combat imperfections, you might be in for a game that can almost be considered a small masterpiece.
The Good
Fantastic, emotional narrative- Memorable and well-written characters
- Beautiful, colorful hand-drawn art style
- Outstanding soundtrack and music design
- Rewarding exploration with clever level design
- Strong sense of discovery without hand-holding
- Smooth performance and excellent optimization
The Bad
Simplistic and underdeveloped combat system- Combat encounters can become repetitive
