Anno 117's Pax Romana's Top Secret Is 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 you're thinking that, you feel equally astonished compared to my initial response the moment I learned this secret option. Excuse me while temporarily abandon my empire’s management, entrust it to a reliable subordinate, take a wagon, and go for a joyride around the classical city.
Activating the First-Person Feature
In its role as a city-builder, the game Anno 117 usually operates using a top-down camera. However, if you enter a secret combination — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on a keyboard or else “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on console — it becomes possible to roam the realm as a regular inhabitant. Given a comparable hidden feature was part of Anno 1800, I was eager to try it out in the new release, but I wasn’t sure it would function until I found myself stuck in a Celtic building (possibly an unexpected bug — this option is a little buggy at times).
Discovering the Ancient Streets
Upon freeing myself, I wandered the lively avenues across my settlement 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 observed numerous fine points that would escape notice when viewing from overhead: Doorway embellishments, an ass transporting a floral pail, fowl roaming freely, people relaxing on their verandas… Merely examining the design of a windowsill and the paint layers on a column proves fascinating for those not residing in classical times.
Beyond Simple Strolling
However, there's additional content to the first-person feature in Anno 117 beyond simply walking the paths. I felt particularly pleased upon discovering that besides being able to look upon farming fields, but also enter them. And even though I thought structures would be inaccessible, I could walk onto earthen quarries, tour an esteemed educational structure while lessons were in session, and invade personal courtyards. Don't bother with door access (not even the developers have the budget for that), yet it's completely feasible meander across a cereal plantation, watch folks shoveling and carrying sacks, and look within any modest shelter as long as the door is absent.
Graphics and Ambiance
While I was completely ready to witness my city rendered using primitive rendering, excluding a few unpolished motions and periodic inhabitants sitting within a bench instead of on a bench, the immersive perspective seems considerably improved over predictions. The meticulously crafted materials (notably masonry elements) are unexpectedly excellent in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You might not observe any individual strands of hair, but you will see engravings on walls, fiery particles from lamps, brick decoloration, pupils, and pine tree leaves. Evening, with glowing light sources and celestial bodies twinkling afar, generates a uniquely immersive environment, and proves significantly less intimidating relative to the previous game, given that the populace appears unlike terrifying apparitions now.
Experimentation and Customization
Because the game's hidden immersive perspective has no guided tutorial, I opted to try different commands, and quickly discovered the options to jump, sprint, and changing perspective — the zoom function permitting me to change from first-person to third-person mode and back. I subsequently tried pressing various digit inputs and learned I could modify my avatar's look. Amber garment? Red toga? Blue and purple toga? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You might hold a weapon and defense, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; if you activate the engage command, you shoot flaming projectiles upward. If you're interested, harming inhabitants is impossible (not that I’ve tried, of course).
Humor and Citizen Interactions
Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, as they're remarkably entertaining. Moments after I entered the first-person view, I heard a parent advising their offspring that “Owning a fox is prohibited and if you feed it one more chicken, your grandmother will be furious.” Rightly so, Roman dad. One lovely local Celt then started applauding my outstanding integration methods by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” while some cranky old lady 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 had found everything available in Anno 117: Pax Romana’s first-person mode, I encountered the delight of riding in Ancient Rome. Entirely by accident, I interacted with a cart 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, although you shouldn't expect any GTA-like shenanigans — colliding with pedestrians or other carts is impossible (once more, not admitting any attempts).
Battle Constraints
The only thing that disappointed me in Anno 117’s first-person mode was learning about my exclusion from in any fighting. Sporting my soldier fit, I approached opposing forces amidst fighting and tried to harm them, yet was completely overlooked. The close-up view was nonetheless magnificent, and seeing opponents retreat, their limbs waving wildly, seemed enormously rewarding, yet it would have been exciting to effectively strike targets using my fiery projectiles.
