Anno 117 Pax Romana's Best-Kept Secret Is a Stunning First-Person Mode.
Wait — did you know it's possible to experience Anno 117 Pax Romana in first-person? Should that be your response, you’re just as shocked as I was when I discovered this hidden feature. Allow me to briefly leave managing my empire, entrust it to a trusted assistant, borrow a cart, and go for a joyride through Ancient Rome.
Unlocking the First-Person View
Being a city-building title, Anno 117 Pax Romana is normally experienced from a bird's-eye view. But, should you enter a secret combination — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” using PC controls or else “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on a controller — you gain the ability to walk your domain as a common citizen. Given a comparable hidden feature was part of Anno 1800, I was eager to try it out in the new release, yet I had doubts it would work until I found myself chin-deep in a Celtic floorboard (which probably wasn’t intended — this option is somewhat unstable occasionally).
Exploring the Roman Cityscape
Upon freeing myself, I wandered the lively avenues across my settlement and toured markets, breweries, blossom gardens, and seafood collectors — it felt magnificent to see all my hard work from a brand-new perspective. I observed all kinds of details that would escape notice from the top-down view: Doorway embellishments, an ass transporting a floral pail, fowl roaming freely, citizens lounging on their terraces… Simply noticing the design of a windowsill and the coloration on a post proves fascinating to someone who doesn’t live in Ancient Rome.
More Than Just Walking
Yet, the experience extends to Anno 117’s first-person mode beyond simply walking the paths. I was especially delighted the moment I learned that not only could I observe farming fields, but also access them. And despite my expectation structures would be inaccessible, I could walk onto clay pits, investigate a respected schoolhouse as teaching was underway, and intrude into private gardens. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the studio have the budget for that), yet it's completely feasible stroll around a barley farm, watch folks shoveling and carrying sacks, and take a peek inside any small shack provided the entrance is missing.
Graphics and Ambiance
While I was completely ready to witness my city rendered in PlayStation 1 graphics, apart from certain rough movements and sometimes citizens positioned within a bench rather than on a bench, first-person mode looks far superior to anticipations. The highly detailed textures (notably masonry elements) shouldn't logically be this impressive within a game that's fundamentally a city-builder. You may not see any individual strands of hair, however, you can observe engravings on walls, fiery particles from lamps, brick decoloration, iris elements, and pine tree leaves. Nighttime, with its flickering fires and distant stellar illumination, creates a particularly moody setting, and also a lot less scary versus the earlier title, especially since the inhabitants no longer resemble terrifying apparitions anymore.
Experimentation and Customization
Since Anno 117’s super-secret first-person mode has no guided tutorial, I decided to experiment a bit, and immediately located the abilities to leap, run, and changing perspective — the zoom function permitting me to change from first-person to third-person mode and revert. I then experimented with various digit inputs and learned I could modify my character’s appearance. Yellow toga? Ruby clothing? Azure and violet outfit? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You might hold a weapon and defense, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; when you press the action key, you shoot flaming projectiles upward. In case you’re wondering, it’s not possible to kill civilians (though I didn't test this, obviously).
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 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.” Appropriate response, paternal figure. A pleasant regional Celt then started applauding my outstanding integration methods by describing it as “Ideal combination,” whereas an irritable elderly woman decided to threaten me: “Utter those words again, and your fate will be sealed.”
The Fun of Vehicle Use
Just as I assumed I uncovered all possible content in the title's first-person feature, I found the joys of joyriding in Ancient Rome. Totally unintentionally, I selected a carriage and immediately found myself in the driver's position. Cattle, asses, even human-pulled carts; you can drive them all at your leisure. The ass-drawn vehicle, specifically, is pretty fast, though you shouldn’t imagine any GTA-like shenanigans — colliding with pedestrians or other carts is impossible (once more, not admitting any attempts).
Battle Constraints
The sole aspect that let me down within the immersive perspective was learning about my exclusion from in combat situations. Equipped in warrior attire, I charged toward adversaries amidst fighting and endeavored to damage them, yet was completely overlooked. The proximate observation was nonetheless magnificent, and seeing opponents retreat, their arms flailing about, seemed enormously rewarding, yet it would have been exciting to actually hit something using my fiery projectiles.
