When you have a clever game name that represents your gameplay, well, you instantly attract my attention. Honestly, I can’t remember the last clever game name that disappointed me. Hmmmm. There might be something to that. I’ll have to run the data…When I retire…because that would be a lot of effort. ANYWAY!
People of Note, from developer Iridium Studios, is a turn-based RPG musical game that is currently in development. This game is an interesting combination of several genres. It’s a bit of quick-time event button-mashing mixed with some weird Expedition 33 outrageous turn-based backbone. When combined with good music, outrageous, colorful characters, and the hope for polish and shine, the game looks to be headed to feather status for yet another good experience in the Annapurna Interactive cap. At least the demo echoed a bit of this while I played it.
So, let’s tighten our strings, set our notes to stun, and get into this preview of People of Note.
Demo Track
Cadence wants musical stardom, and she will battle her way to obtain it. Set forth by a mission to gather a band in hopes of saving music and her budding career, she soon discovers that there is more at risk than just her own needs and wants. Musical freedom is very much at risk in her world.
For a game with a unique and fun premise, the story fits the gameplay well. The gameplay for People of Note has a simple turn-based structure with an explorative RPG flavor to it. Players will take control of Cadence and be thrust into the musical mayhem, where she will be searching far and wide for people to join her potential musical career plight, while fending off evil doers that are looking to stand in her way.
The demo featured a bit of that RPG exploration and gradual story drip, as it found Cadence walking into a desert-like city where rock seemed to be dying. As she searched for a bandmate, the demo had her go up against a rough and tough has-been who was paired with a fascist musical force, and armed with musical backup to help him out.
Once Cadence started fighting, the game switched from a light-hearted narrative with fun banter to turn-based action. When the fighting begins, the player must choose from a list of actions that Cadence could perform, from light attacks to heavy music numbers that featured multiple hits. In the scheme of things, and without the musical overlay, this was akin to Attack/Defend/Skill options that you would find in a classic turn-based RPG fighting structure.
But! Instead of just going back and forth with fists, swords, and/or guns, Cadence came equipped with a musical instrument in hand and a QTE button-gauge that dictated how accurate a hit she made (the more accurate, the more damage) or if her attack was a total flop. That gauge was simply composed of a button indicator that would pop up on the screen during her attack and require the player to mash the button at the right time to serve up the musical violence. Should she launch a special skill attack, the button-mashing rhythm would change, and/ or perhaps feature multiple buttons to press before an attack was launched. The button mashing was based on the rhythm of the music played, which fit right into the game’s narrative and music-based theme.
While my time with the demo was merely a short stint, it certainly felt like a unique adventure was cropping up, at least one worthy of the Annapurna Interactive moniker, as they are known for finding unique titles. Go see Sayonara Wild Hearts, Kentucky Route Zero, and Stray for details. Those are gems.
Anyway, during my time with the demo, the first city featured was huge and beautiful. It was a desert backdrop that gave some hint about what to expect with the rest of the title. The environment was huge, detailed in a cel-shaded, Arcane-like animation style. It felt like a big world that Cadence would find a lot of avenues to explore. And if this was just the first, I can only imagine how the rest would look and feel.
In addition to large environments and fun animation, the demo also showed off additional characters that would fight alongside Cadence and how that would work. Right from the get-go, Cadence picks up a hardcore guitarist who can bring the boom during a fight and really cause some musical destruction. Both Cadence and this rocker ran on different musical choices and offered differing attack styles. It wasn’t simply the same for the characters during the fight; the player was forced to switch between how Cadence attacked with button-mashing, while the other fella brought different button-mashing patterns to the party. It was a neat way to go, be it complicated, especially on the player end of things, because switching between two differing rhythms can be a tough gameplay task. Regardless of difficulty, the demo brought a neat, early preview of what was to come from this game, while at the same time holding back to not give too much away. I’m okay with that because I love me some surprises.
At the end of the day, it was obvious how much love and care went into crafting Cadence’s world in People of Note. The game seems to be developing on solid ground with its concept, narrative, and its intentions with its gameplay.
I’m looking forward to seeing more of this as the April 7th launch date approaches. Until then, we’ll keep you posted.
