Annapurna Interactive is one of those studios that develops and publishes some of the most fascinating games in recent memory. While their latest offering, Mixtape, has caught the eyes and ire of many, there is one game that came out right before it that deserves more time in the spotlight. That game is People of Note, a colorful turn-based RPG set in a world dominated by the various genres of music. While you might be saying, “Well, isn’t that how music culture is already?” this takes it a step further by having various civilizations within the game be dominated by one genre or the other. This setting helps bring a unique blend of music that is hard to come by within a single video game and puts the soundtrack on center stage. So without further ado, let’s dive into People of Note!

For those who are unaware, People of Note follows a wannabe Pop Star by the name of Cadence. Cadence is determined to make a name for herself by winning a song contest known as Noteworthy. After finding a way to prove her music prowess, she discovers that she needs to find a new sound to win! Along the way, she and her motley band of musicians find that there is more going on within the world and there is more at stake than just a song competition. From Pop to Country to EDM and more, there is a whole world of music to explore within People of Note.

Since the music is in the spotlight, it seems only fair to talk about it. Most of the songs within the game serve one primary purpose: to advance the story. This is a key element of most musicals that this game seems to adapt quite nicely. The only difference I would give between most musicals and People of Note is that the music within this game is not all that great. Don’t get me wrong, they are nicely put together and certainly have their moments from time to time, but there is not a single song in here that I would consider adding to my personal playlist. However, this is a matter of personal preference in terms of catchiness. As for advancing the story, these songs are essential for selling the world to the player and for building bonds between the various characters that you will meet along the way.

Speaking of characters, there is a wide range of different people you will run into, from absolute divas who think that they don’t need anybody to down-and-out musicians who rely on drugs to feel like themselves and a wise old man who gives off heavy Radagast the Brown vibes. The main character, Cadence, is the one that you will be spending a majority of your time with since there is never a moment where she isn’t around.

She is not always the most enjoyable character to be around, but luckily you soon meet up with enough companions who are willing to both show her a better path forward in her life and can knock her down a few pegs when need be. That is not to say that Cadence doesn’t have her redeeming moments. There were quite a few times when I was quite impressed with the direction she was taken, and it never felt like a forced change but one that was gradually earned along the way.

One of the things that I often don’t worry about too often are bugs. I have been surprisingly fortunate to not run into too many in the games I typically review. However, People of Note has one significant bug that keeps rearing its ugly head every two hours or so. Early on in some areas, there are moments where Cadence gets stuck in an odd position. Oftentimes it seems to be the result of something not loading quite right early on, but other times it appears to be a pathing issue entirely as she becomes stuck during a sequence where no inputs can be given.

I have not been able to see if this is an issue unique to PC copies of the game or if all versions suffer from this problem, but it has caused me to reload the save or restart the game entirely depending on the severity. My hope is that they can patch this up as soon as possible. Have you played People of Note yet? If so, please leave your thoughts in the comments below. If you are looking for more unique games, consider checking out Mike’s review of Gunboat God right here.

A PC review copy of People of Note was provided by Annapurna Interactive for this review.

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People of Note

$24.99

7.5

Score

7.5/10

Pros

• Fascinating World
• Decent Combat
• Interesting Art Style

Cons

• Repeated Gamebreaking Bug
• No Catchy Songs