A ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Where You’re on the Mic

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Critic’s Pick

A ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Where You’re on the Mic

People of Note has a pleasant music-themed twist on turn-based gameplay.

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Cadence, the lead character in People of Note, wants to win a Eurovision-style music contest.

Credit...

Iridium Studios

By

Harold Goldberg

April 24, 2026,

5:04 a.m. ET

People of Note

NYT Critic’s Pick

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In the pun-filled People of Note, Cadence is a fashionable, passionate woman who yearns to be a hugely popular singer in the cutthroat music business. Her goal is to win a Eurovision-style contest called Noteworthy, but she’s hindered by evil gatekeepers, egomaniacal pop stars and a looming dark threat. While not precisely the same, this turn-based role-playing game feels like “KPop Demon Hunters” for game lovers.

At the beginning, it didn’t seem as if there was enough depth to satisfy. The first song isn’t thrilling, and while the

soundtrack’s songs

are creditable, many aren’t very moving. And Cadence is portrayed as completely single-minded, too into herself and her idea of success to be completely likable.

But People of Note ultimately soars because of an unexpected narrative, a pleasant music-themed twist on turn-based gameplay and inventive environments that are luminous and energetic. The music venue in Chordia, with its 14 blue spotlights against purple skies, enhances the feeling of a concert’s excitement. A K-pop district feels alive through its multicolored strung lanterns, a vibrant club scene and the Accorgion, an adorable accordion dog.

Cadence learns — after some rejection by judges — that forming a band that has her back may be the way to winning Noteworthy. In essence, the game’s designers believe that musicians with interests in different genres represent the surest way to enhanced creativity.

In the unnamed band’s way, however, is Smolder, an ego-filled group who have won the contest many years in a row, and whose fans are as devoted as Taylor Swift’s. Smolder’s singer is so full of himself that he thinks a simple invitation backstage will seduce Cadence. But she’ll have none of his nonsense. She hates the band’s corporate nature, its lack of risk-taking.

It’s when she gets a special key to let her perform at Noteworthy without auditioning that Cadence begins to branch out.

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