Anno 117: Pax Romana's Best-Kept Secret Turns Out to Be a Stunning First-Person Perspective.
Hold on — were you aware it's possible to experience Anno 117 Pax Romana using a first-person camera? If that’s your reaction, your surprise matches compared to my initial response the moment I learned this concealed mode. Allow me to step away from my empire’s management, leave it in a trusted assistant, take a wagon, and take a spin through Ancient Rome.
How to Access the First-Person Mode
In its role as a city-builder, Anno 117: Pax Romana is typically played from an overhead perspective. But, should you press a covert button sequence — for example “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” using PC controls alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on a controller — you gain the ability to walk the empire as an ordinary Roman. Given a comparable hidden feature was part of the earlier game Anno 1800, I looked forward to test it in the latest installment, though I was uncertain it would operate prior to being stuck in a Celtic building (which probably wasn’t intended — this option is prone to glitches now and then).
Discovering the Streets of Rome
Once I crawled out, I wandered the busy roads across my settlement and toured shops, taverns, blossom gardens, and seafood collectors — the experience was splendid to witness the fruits of my labor using an entirely new viewpoint. I noticed numerous fine points I might have missed from above: Entryway ornaments, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, poultry scattering about, citizens lounging on their terraces… Simply noticing the shape of a window sill and the coloration on a post becomes engaging for those not residing in classical times.
Further Than Mere Wandering
However, there's additional content to the first-person feature in Anno 117 than strolling along the road. I felt particularly pleased upon discovering that not only could I look upon crop lands, but also enter them. And even though I thought interiors would be restricted, I managed to access mud extraction sites, explore a prestigious Grammaticus building as teaching was underway, and intrude into private gardens. Avoid attempting to open doors (not even the creators have the budget for that), but it’s entirely possible meander across a cereal plantation, watch folks shoveling and carrying sacks, and take a peek inside any small shack when there's no doorway obstructing.
Graphics and Ambiance
Even though I expected to observe my settlement depicted with outdated visual quality, apart from certain rough movements and sometimes citizens positioned inside seating instead of on a bench, first-person mode looks far superior to anticipations. The intricately designed surfaces (particularly rock faces) really have no business being this good within a game that's fundamentally a city-builder. You may not see any individual strands of hair, but you will see engravings on walls, sparks flying from torches, fading on bricks, iris elements, and pine tree leaves. The night, featuring dancing flames and celestial bodies twinkling afar, is especially atmospheric, and also a lot less scary compared to Anno 1800, given that the populace appears unlike nightmarish entities anymore.
Experimentation and Customization
Because the game's hidden immersive perspective has no guided tutorial, I decided to experiment a bit, and immediately located the functions for jumping, dashing, and adjusting the view — the zoom function permitting me to change from first-person to third-person mode and back. I then experimented with some number buttons and learned I could modify my avatar's look. Amber garment? Red toga? Sapphire and amethyst dress? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You may carry a sword and shield, or, personally chosen, equip a shooter's costume; when you press the action key, you shoot flaming projectiles upward. In case you’re wondering, eliminating citizens cannot be done (not that I attempted, naturally).
Humor and Citizen Interactions
However, I had no desire to injure my people, as they're remarkably entertaining. Shortly after I activated first-person mode, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that he “Can’t have a pet fox and if you offer additional fowl, your grandmother will be furious.” Rightly so, Roman dad. A pleasant regional Celt then started applauding my outstanding integration methods by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” while some cranky old lady chose to intimidate me: “Utter those words again, and your fate will be sealed.”
The Joy of Joyriding
Just as I assumed I uncovered all possible content in the title's first-person feature, I found the joys of joyriding across historical settings. Totally unintentionally, I clicked on a wagon and immediately found myself in the driver's position. Cattle, asses, even people-powered transports; you can drive them all at your leisure. The donkey cart, in particular, moves quite quickly, but don't anticipate any GTA-like shenanigans — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (reiterating, without confirming testing).
Battle Constraints
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 charged toward adversaries amidst fighting and attempted to attack them, but was entirely disregarded. The proximate observation was still rather spectacular, and seeing opponents retreat, their appendages thrashing around, felt highly gratifying, yet it would have been exciting to successfully impact objects using my fiery projectiles.
