Anno 117: Pax Romana's Hidden Gem Is a Breathtaking First-Person View.
Hold on — were you aware you can play Anno 117 Pax Romana in first-person? If that’s your reaction, your surprise matches as I was upon finding out this secret option. Allow me to temporarily abandon my empire’s management, delegate it to a capable deputy, take a wagon, and take a spin across the Roman world.
Unlocking the First-Person Feature
As a city-building game, the game Anno 117 is normally experienced from an overhead perspective. But, should you press a covert button sequence — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on a keyboard or “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on a controller — it becomes possible to roam the empire as an ordinary Roman. Given a comparable hidden feature appeared in the earlier game Anno 1800, I looked forward to test it in the latest installment, though I was uncertain it would work before I discovered myself stuck in a Celtic building (which probably wasn’t intended — this option is a little buggy at times).
Roaming the Ancient Streets
Once I crawled out, I wandered the bustling streets through my metropolis and visited shops, taverns, blossom gardens, and shellfish gatherers — it was glorious to see my diligent efforts from a brand-new perspective. I observed numerous fine points that would escape notice from above: Entryway ornaments, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, chickens running loose, people relaxing on their verandas… Even just observing the design of a windowsill and the coloration on a post is quite interesting to someone who doesn’t live in Ancient Rome.
More Than Just Walking
However, there's additional content to the game's immersive perspective aside from meandering through streets. I became extraordinarily excited the moment I learned that not only could I observe crop lands, but also enter them. And despite my expectation the building models would be off-limits, I was able to enter earthen quarries, explore a prestigious Grammaticus building during active classes, and invade personal courtyards. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the developers allocated resources for that), yet it's completely feasible stroll around a barley farm, observe people digging and transporting bags, and glance into any tiny hut when there's no doorway obstructing.
Graphics and Ambiance
While I was completely ready to witness my city rendered using primitive rendering, excluding a few unpolished motions and the occasional civilian resting within a bench rather than on a bench, the immersive perspective seems considerably improved over predictions. The meticulously crafted materials (particularly rock faces) really have no business being this good for a title that remains primarily overhead. You may not see any individual strands of hair, yet you will notice wall inscriptions, fiery particles from lamps, discoloration of masonry, eye details, and evergreen foliage. Evening, with glowing light sources and distant stellar illumination, is especially atmospheric, and feels much less frightening relative to the previous game, now that the citizens don’t look like terrifying apparitions anymore.
Discovery and Modification
Because the game's hidden immersive perspective doesn’t come with an instruction manual, I chose to test various actions, and quickly discovered the functions for jumping, dashing, and changing perspective — with the latter allowing me to alternate between immersive and external perspectives and revert. I then decided to hit certain numeric keys and discovered that I could change my character’s appearance. Yellow toga? Ruby clothing? Azure and violet outfit? Or — perhaps even better — full armor? You may carry a sword and shield, or, my favorite, don a marksman outfit; if you activate the engage command, you’ll fire burning arrows into the sky. In case you’re wondering, eliminating citizens cannot be done (though I didn't test this, obviously).
Amusement and Inhabitant Dialogues
But I wouldn’t wish to harm my citizens anyway, since they're incredibly amusing. Shortly after I activated the immersive perspective, I heard a parent advising their offspring that “You cannot keep a fox as a pet and if you feed it one more chicken, your elder will punish you.” Rightly so, Roman dad. A friendly native Celtic person 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 Fun of Vehicle Use
At the moment I believed I’d discovered all there is to discover within the game's immersive perspective, I experienced the pleasure of driving in Ancient Rome. Completely unexpectedly, I clicked on a wagon and quickly occupied the transport. Cattle, asses, even manually drawn vehicles; you can control each one as desired. The ass-drawn vehicle, specifically, is pretty fast, although you shouldn't expect Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — colliding with pedestrians or other carts is impossible (reiterating, without confirming testing).
Fighting Restrictions
The sole aspect that let me down regarding the first-person view was learning about my exclusion from in any fighting. Equipped in warrior attire, I approached opposing forces during active combat and endeavored to damage them, only to be ignored completely. The front-row seat was nonetheless magnificent, and seeing opponents retreat, their arms flailing about, seemed enormously rewarding, yet it would have been exciting to actually hit something with my burning arrows.
