Let’s face it: a turn-based RPG where combat plays out like a live Broadway musical is a lot to take in. Between time signatures that dictate your turns and a bunch of missable secrets, you might want a bit of a roadmap before you dive in.
This People of Note guide covers everything you actually need to know, from basic combat survival tips to the exact spots where those hidden trophies are tucked away.
Table of Contents
What is People of Note?
People of Note is a 2026 turn‑based RPG musical developed by Iridium Studios and published by Annapurna Interactive. You play as Cadence, a young singer in the world of Note, who sets out across the continent to recruit band members and compete in a large‑scale music‑driven adventure. The game blends turn‑based combat with rhythm‑based mechanics, where your timing and musical choices shape how your attacks play out in battle.
Platforms and availability
The game is available on PC (via Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2.
People of Note Guide: Core combat and mechanics
Battles are structured like musical performances. The choices and timing affect attack strength, rhythm patterns and special effects. The game uses dynamic conditions that change mid‑battle, such as shifting tempos or altered stat effects. This strategy encourages you to adapt your strategy.
You can adjust how demanding the rhythm‑based elements feel and some optional puzzle‑style sections can be skipped or simplified. As a result, players can focus on the story or easier combat setups.
Band building and special attacks
Instead of a traditional skill tree, abilities and effects are tied to customizable gear and modifiers slotted into your characters’ instruments. These can boost damage, add healing, grant extra action points or provide powerful buffs. They scale as you earn points from battles.
As you recruit band members from different genres and regions, you unlock genre‑bending “Mashup” attacks that change how your team performs in combat.
Story and music‑driven progression
The story is carried significantly by original songs, some of which are tightly linked to major narrative beats instead of traditional cutscenes. I highly recommend playing with audio turned up, since key story and emotional moments are delivered through lyrics and musical performances.
People of Note Guide: 100% trophy
The game has a full set of achievements that correspond to a platinum‑style completion path. Many of these achievements are missable if you do not complete companion quests and side content before certain story milestones.
Two common windows highlighted are:
- Before entering Archaia for the first time.
- Before entering Scales of the World (or the equivalent late‑game region).
These are widely recommended as safe checkpoints to avoid missing key content.
List of People of Note Trophies
Here is the complete list of People of Note trophies:
| Trophy | Rank | Requirement | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hittin’ The High Notes | Platinum | Unlock all trophies | Earn every other trophy in the game to unlock the Platinum achievement. |
| Take ‘Em Down a Tuning Peg | Bronze | Humble a Smolder fan | Progress through the main story to earn this trophy naturally. |
| Rhythm Champ | Bronze | Learn the game of Rhythm Wheel in Chordia | Find the three children near the stairs overlooking the stage in Studio City and defeat them in the Rhythm Wheel mini-game. |
| Forte Night | Bronze | Obtain the ability stone “Forte” | Acquired automatically during the story campaign. |
| If at Fourth you don’t Succeed | Bronze | Defeat Yuna Verse | Defeat Yuna Verse as part of the story progression. |
| Going On Tour | Bronze | Seek out Bandmates in the World of Note | Recruit bandmates while advancing through the story. |
| Country, Rocked | Bronze | Drive off the Homestead…for now | Unlocked through normal story completion. |
| Every Game’s a puzzle game | Bronze | If you think about it | Continue through the story to receive this trophy. |
| Bangers and Mash | Bronze | Use a Mashup attack on an enemy | Fill the MSH gauges of two party members and unleash a Mashup Attack during battle. |
| Frequency Modulated | Bronze | Defeat Freq in the Melting Point | Defeat Freq during the Melting Point story section. |
| Chorus for the Trees | Bronze | Defeat Smolder in the Lilting Green | Earned by defeating Smolder in Lilting Green. |
| Spectral Champ | Bronze | Go above and beyond for Chill Dave | Complete Chill Dave’s related story objective. |
| Femtosecond | Bronze | Defeat Pulse at the Photon | Defeat Pulse in the Photon area to unlock this trophy. |
| Choral Beef | Bronze | Defeat Lasso and Martell at the Choral Reef | Beat both Lasso and Martell at Choral Reef. |
| Rose Tinted Classics | Bronze | Defeat Sharp at the Villanelle | Defeat Sharp during the Villanelle encounter. |
| Fair Use | Bronze | Defeat Super Singin’ Lasso | Take down Super Singin’ Lasso to unlock this achievement. |
| To go to even Further Beyond | Bronze | Defeat Super Singin’ Bluegrass Lasso | Defeat the stronger Bluegrass version of Super Singin’ Lasso. |
| Classical Mechanics | Bronze | Clear the Three Trials of the Obelisk | Finish all three Obelisk trials during the story. |
| … | Bronze | Defeat Silence | Earned after defeating Silence. |
| Noteworthy | Gold | Save Note | Complete the main story and save Note. |
| Zero Geez | Silver | Indulge Zero Gee’s obsession | Return to Lumina before visiting Archaia for the first time and complete the side quest that leads to a puzzle in Lilting Green. |
| Links | Silver | Allow Vox and his mother some quality bonding time | Go back to Pyre before entering Archaia and finish the side quest that sends you to Choral Reef for a battle. |
| Technicolor | Silver | Assist Freq with his experiments | Before heading to the Scales of the World, revisit Durandis and complete the Melting Point puzzle tied to Freq’s quest. |
| Comeback | Silver | Defeat Yuna Verse, for real. | Return to Chordia before traveling to the Scales of the World and defeat Yuna Verse again in Whirls Generation. |
| Virtuosos | Gold | Unlock the full band mashup, In Concert | Complete every optional party member quest and enter the Scales of the World to unlock the In Concert mashup. |
| Music of the Spheres | Gold | Complete all puzzle battles and receive your reward | Finish every puzzle battle challenge in the game to earn the final reward. |
| Polyrhythm | Silver | Earn at least five extra actions in a single stanza | Use Synthia and Vox’s mashup with Cadence’s Signature Shift to gain five bonus actions in one stanza. |
| Drum Roll | Silver | Spend at least 20BP in a single stanza | Use multiple high-BP abilities in one stanza while all characters have full BP. |
| Inverted Quaver | Silver | Use a non-rest ability that restores at least 5BP to you upon use | Equip VIP Backstage Pass, EP-Emerald Songstone, and B-Side, then use the setup in battle to recover 5BP with one skill. |
| Peaking | Silver | Use an ability with at least 250% worth of damage modifiers stacked upon it | Stack several buffs and damage modifiers together before attacking to exceed a 250% bonus. |
| Stinger | Silver | Finish a regular battle in a single stanza | Return to an earlier dungeon later in the game and overpower enemies in one stanza. |
| Rushing Or Dragging | Bronze | Obtain the ability stone “Accelerando” | Acquired naturally during story progression. |
| Perfect Fifth | Bronze | Obtain the ability stone “Harmonize” | Earned automatically through the main story. |
| Noise Cancellation | Bronze | Obtain the ability stone “Inversion” | Unlock this ability stone while progressing through the campaign. |
| Free bird | Bronze | Obtain the ability stone “Encore” | Obtain the Encore ability stone during the story. |
| Reconciliation | Silver | Get the band back together | Continue through the story to reunite the band. |
| Boy Banned | Silver | Defeat Smolder at their full strength | Beat Smolder in their strongest form. |
| Polka Face | Silver | Turn in all twenty Weird Owl Feathers | Collect and hand over all 20 Weird Owl Feathers. |
| Sidenote | Silver | Track down an elusive merchant | Find the hidden merchant required for this trophy. |
| Pet all the dogs | Silver | Do the most important thing | Interact with and pet every dog in the game. |
People of Note Characters and Voice Actors
Here is the character and voice cast lineup of People of Note:
- Cadence: Heather Gonzalez (Speaking) / LEXXE (Singing)
- Fret: Jason Charles Miller (Speaking & Singing / Music Producer)
- Synthia: Erika Ishii (Speaking) / Amanda Angeles (Singing)
- Vox: Mansa “Wakil” Wakili
- Cerrin: Marwan Salama
- Arc: Alex Boniello
- Sharp: Joe Zieja (Speaking & Singing)
- Anthony: Griffin Burns
- Lasso: Sean Kenin Elias-Reyes (Speaking) / Drew Ryder Smith (Singing)
- Martell: Debra Wilson
- Annette: Erica Lindbeck (Speaking) / Elizabeth Zharoff (Singing)
Music and Everything!
People of Note is a turn‑based RPG musical where Cadence travels across the world of Note. The game blends structured battles, customizable modifiers tied to instruments and genre‑bending “Mashup” attacks.
To reach 100% completion, players are advised to watch for key story milestones and finish companion quests and optional puzzles. . The Music of the Spheres, Sidenote and Polka Face achievements are all tied to finding and completing well‑hidden side content.
