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It’s been great to see just how the turn-based RPG genre has evolved in recent years. It has quickly moved away from some of the formulaic aspects of old-school titles, bringing new mechanics that cater to newcomers but also to veterans. People of Note is one of those that, beyond improving on well-established staples, brings a unique blend of combat, puzzles, challenging fights, and all wrapped around one of the best and most varied soundtracks I’ve heard in an RPG.
The Show’s About to Begin
While this isn’t our first rodeo with People of Note, this time it was my turn to preview the latest demo, and I had a blast doing so. This short section put me in the musical shoes of Cadence, a singer who couldn’t make it into a contest due to some shady reasons, and is now looking to assemble a group of different musicians, all of varied genres, to make one of the most mind-blowing medleys this side of Note.
The demo focused mainly on Cadence’s efforts to recruit Fret, a former classic rock singer and guitarist who’s been stuck in the past and has refused to move on, unlike his former bandmates, who’ve traded the riffs for a different beat. Despite being short, the plot surrounding this section was quite intriguing and gave me a better picture of each character, with Cadence standing out as a hopeful yet careless singer looking to reach stardom, and Fret as the man who refuses to move on from his old ways.
Gameplay-wise, I also got to see a bit of the game’s map, try out some shopping around the town, and even some side activities, such as trivia-solving and combat challenges. While all of that was great, the real highlight was the actual fighting, as the beat isn’t just a thing that will have you banging your head.
People of Note is a turn-based RPG, but it sets itself apart by doing things differently. For starters, you have your turn order or Stanza, which shows all the actions that will happen in a set turn. At first, it might not seem relevant, but the truth is that this is the bread and butter of every encounter, as you need to plan ahead of foes’ actions to either defend yourself or stop their advance.
Combat is never static, as every attack or move you perform requires you to listen to the beat of the fight. There are these quick-time-event-like prompts that you need to hit in the right order to increase your damage or healing potential. However, they aren’t always the same, as the beat changing will also affect how fast or slow you need to hit these prompts.
Also, there is a mash-up system that lets your characters perform an attack reminiscent of a Limit Break in Final Fantasy. After receiving enough damage, both characters activate this skill and, in the case of Cadence and Fret, deal a lot of damage and also get a powerful buff.
My biggest surprise, however, was just how challenging every encounter was. Despite being a demo, I ended up repeating several encounters more than once, as I was used to spamming the same attack repeatedly—something I do in other turn-based RPGs. In a way, I was glad that it didn’t work here, as strategizing plays a huge role and encourages you to actually plan your moves instead of just using the same skill in every turn.
Lastly, I also got to dive into a dungeon and fight a boss, and both were welcome surprises. Puzzles felt challenging, yet never frustrating. And, if for some reason, you don’t like puzzles in your games, you can disable them to focus on the fighting. The boss fight was even more challenging than any other encounter, and actually had me sweating as poor Fret kept going down between every riff he played.
An RPG Rhapsody
Frankly, I was already excited for People of Note, but playing this demo made me feel like a fan ready to enter a venue to listen to their favorite band. This turn-based RPG shows a lot of promise in how it approaches this legendary genre, and it flawlessly marries its combat systems to its stellar music, which is something I always appreciate as several developers leave the latter as a side dish.
Fortunately, it seems that it won’t be long before we hit the road alongside Cadence and her bandmates, as this RPG is right around the corner. And if these two previews are just a taste of the whole medley, then we’re about to have one of the most memorable turn-based symphonies in recent memory.
