Anno 117: Pax Romana's Best-Kept Secret Is a Breathtaking First-Person Perspective.
Wait — did you know gamers have the option to enjoy Anno 117 Pax Romana using a first-person camera? If that’s your reaction, your surprise matches as I was upon finding out this hidden feature. Excuse me while temporarily abandon overseeing my civilization, delegate it to a trusted assistant, take a wagon, and go for a joyride through Ancient Rome.
Activating the First-Person View
In its role as a city-builder, the game Anno 117 usually operates from an overhead perspective. But, should you press a covert button sequence — for example “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. Since a similar easter egg was included in the previous Anno title, I felt excited to try it out in Ubisoft's newest game, but I wasn’t sure it would operate before I discovered myself submerged in a structural glitch (which probably wasn’t intended — this feature is prone to glitches now and then).
Exploring the Streets of Rome
Upon freeing myself, I wandered the bustling streets across my settlement and explored shops, taverns, flower fields, and seafood collectors — it felt magnificent to see all my hard work using an entirely new viewpoint. I observed all kinds of details I might have missed when viewing from overhead: Front door decorations, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, fowl roaming freely, citizens lounging on their terraces… Merely examining the form of a ledge and the coloration on a post becomes engaging to modern individuals unfamiliar with ancient life.
More Than Just Walking
But there’s more to Anno 117’s first-person mode beyond simply walking the paths. I became extraordinarily excited when I found out that I could not just observe crop lands, but also access them. And even though I thought interiors would be restricted, I managed to access earthen quarries, investigate a respected schoolhouse as teaching was underway, and intrude into private gardens. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the studio planned for that functionality), yet it's completely feasible meander across a cereal plantation, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and take a peek inside any small shack when there's no doorway obstructing.
Graphics and Ambiance
While I was completely ready to witness my city rendered in PlayStation 1 graphics, excluding a few unpolished motions and sometimes citizens positioned in a bench rather than on a bench, the immersive perspective seems considerably improved over predictions. The highly detailed textures (especially stone surfaces) are unexpectedly excellent for a title that remains primarily overhead. You may not see separate follicular elements, however, you can observe engravings on walls, sparks flying from torches, brick decoloration, pupils, and evergreen foliage. The night, featuring dancing flames and distant stellar illumination, is especially atmospheric, and feels much less frightening relative to the previous game, especially since the inhabitants no longer resemble terrifying apparitions now.
Testing and Personalization
Given the covert first-person feature doesn’t come with an instruction manual, I decided to experiment a bit, and immediately located the options to jump, sprint, and adjusting the view — with the latter allowing me to alternate between immersive and external perspectives and return. I subsequently tried pressing some number buttons and found I could alter my representative's visual design. Golden robe? Red toga? Sapphire and amethyst dress? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You may carry a sword and shield, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; if you hit the interaction button, you shoot flaming projectiles upward. In case you’re wondering, eliminating citizens cannot be done (though I didn't test this, obviously).
Humor and Citizen Interactions
But I wouldn’t wish to harm my citizens anyway, because they’re way too funny. Moments after I entered the immersive perspective, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that “You cannot keep a fox as a pet and should you provide another poultry, your elder will punish you.” Rightly so, Roman dad. One lovely local Celt then started applauding my excellent cross-cultural strategies 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
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. Totally unintentionally, I interacted with a cart and immediately found myself in the driver's position. Oxen, donkeys, even people-powered transports; you may operate any of them freely. The donkey cart, in particular, is pretty fast, but don't anticipate any GTA-like shenanigans — you can’t drive into people or other wagons (once more, not admitting any attempts).
Fighting Restrictions
The single feature that frustrated me regarding the first-person view was finding out I couldn’t partake in battle encounters. Sporting my soldier fit, I charged toward adversaries during active combat and endeavored to damage them, but was entirely disregarded. The front-row seat was nonetheless magnificent, and seeing opponents retreat, their arms flailing about, felt highly gratifying, yet it would have been exciting to successfully impact objects via my incendiary bolts.
