Anno 117: Pax Romana's Hidden Gem Reveals Itself as a Stunning First-Person Perspective.
Wait — did you know gamers have the option to enjoy the game Anno 117 in first-person? If that’s your reaction, you’re just as shocked compared to my initial response the moment I learned this concealed mode. Allow me to temporarily abandon managing my empire, entrust it to a capable deputy, borrow a cart, and go for a joyride around the classical city.
Unlocking the First-Person View
As a city-building game, Anno 117 Pax Romana is normally experienced from an overhead perspective. But, should you press a covert button sequence — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on keyboard alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” with a gamepad — you gain the ability to walk your domain as a common citizen. Because an analogous secret was part of the earlier game Anno 1800, I felt excited to test it in Ubisoft's newest game, but I wasn’t sure it would work before I discovered myself chin-deep in a Celtic floorboard (which probably wasn’t intended — this option is somewhat unstable occasionally).
Roaming the Streets of Rome
Once I crawled out, I strolled the bustling streets of my city and visited shops, taverns, blossom gardens, and shellfish gatherers — the experience was splendid to witness the fruits of my labor through a fresh lens. I noticed all kinds of details that would escape notice when viewing from overhead: Front door decorations, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, chickens running loose, citizens lounging on their terraces… Even just observing the design of a windowsill and the coating on a pillar is quite interesting to someone who doesn’t live in Ancient Rome.
More Than Just Walking
Yet, the experience extends to the game's immersive perspective beyond simply walking the paths. I was especially delighted upon discovering that besides being able to look upon farming fields, but also enter them. And despite my expectation the building models would be off-limits, I managed to access clay pits, investigate a respected schoolhouse during active classes, and even trespass into people’s gardens. Avoid attempting to open doors (not even the creators planned for that functionality), however, you can definitely stroll around a barley farm, observe people digging and transporting bags, and look within any modest shelter provided the entrance is missing.
Graphics and Ambiance
Although I was fully prepared to observe my settlement depicted using primitive rendering, besides some crude animations and the occasional civilian resting in a bench as opposed to atop a bench, the first-person view appears considerably improved over predictions. The meticulously crafted materials (especially stone surfaces) really have no business being this good for a title that remains primarily overhead. You might not observe specific hair details, yet you will notice engravings on walls, fiery particles from lamps, brick decoloration, eye details, and conifer needles. Evening, with glowing light sources and distant stellar illumination, is especially atmospheric, and feels much less frightening compared to Anno 1800, especially since the inhabitants no longer resemble sleep paralysis demons anymore.
Experimentation and Customization
Because the game's hidden immersive perspective has no guided tutorial, I decided to experiment a bit, and quickly discovered the functions for jumping, dashing, and adjusting the view — the last option enabling me to change from first-person to third-person mode and back. I then decided to hit various digit inputs and found I could alter my representative's visual design. Yellow toga? Crimson attire? Sapphire and amethyst dress? Or — potentially preferable — armored suit? You can wield a blade and protection, or, my favorite, don a marksman outfit; if you hit the interaction button, you shoot flaming projectiles upward. In case you’re wondering, it’s not possible to kill civilians (not that I attempted, naturally).
Amusement and Inhabitant Dialogues
However, I had no desire to injure my people, as they're remarkably entertaining. Only seconds after I landed first-person mode, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that he “Can’t have a pet fox and if you feed it one more chicken, your elder will punish you.” Rightly so, Roman dad. A pleasant regional Celt then proceeded to praise my excellent cross-cultural strategies by calling it the “Best of both worlds,” whereas an irritable elderly woman opted to menace me: “Say that one more time, and they’ll never find your body.”
The Joy of Joyriding
Just as I assumed I’d discovered all there is to discover in Anno 117: Pax Romana’s first-person mode, I found the joys of joyriding in Ancient Rome. Entirely by accident, I interacted with a cart and was promptly seated on the box. Cattle, asses, even human-pulled carts; you may operate any of them freely. The ass-drawn vehicle, specifically, is pretty fast, but don't anticipate any GTA-like shenanigans — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (once more, not admitting any attempts).
Fighting Restrictions
The only thing that disappointed me within the immersive perspective was finding out I couldn’t partake in battle encounters. Wearing my military outfit, I approached opposing forces during active combat and attempted to attack them, but was entirely disregarded. The proximate observation was nonetheless magnificent, and observing foes flee, their appendages thrashing around, proved very satisfying, though it might have been amazing to actually hit something using my fiery projectiles.
