Anno 117 Pax Romana's Hidden Gem Is a Breathtaking First-Person Perspective.
Wait — did you know gamers have the option to enjoy the game Anno 117 using a first-person camera? If that’s your reaction, your surprise matches as I was the moment I learned this concealed mode. Excuse me while step away from overseeing my civilization, entrust it to a trusted assistant, borrow a cart, and go for a joyride across the Roman world.
How to Access the First-Person Mode
In its role as a city-builder, the game Anno 117 is normally experienced from a bird's-eye view. However, if you press a covert button sequence — for example “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on a keyboard or “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on a controller — you can explore your domain as a common citizen. Because an analogous secret appeared in the previous Anno title, I felt excited to try it out in the new release, yet I had doubts it would operate until I found myself chin-deep in a Celtic floorboard (likely not meant to happen — this feature is prone to glitches now and then).
Roaming the Streets of Rome
Upon freeing myself, I wandered the bustling streets through my metropolis and explored shops, taverns, blossom gardens, and seafood collectors — it was glorious to witness my diligent efforts from a brand-new perspective. I observed numerous fine points I might have missed from the top-down view: Doorway embellishments, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, poultry scattering about, folks chilling on their balconies… Even just observing the shape of a window sill and the coloration on a post becomes engaging for those not residing in classical times.
More Than Just Walking
Yet, the experience extends to Anno 117’s first-person mode beyond simply walking the paths. I was especially delighted upon discovering that I could not just look upon crop lands, but also access them. And although I’d assumed the building models would be off-limits, I could walk onto mud extraction sites, tour an esteemed educational structure as teaching was underway, and invade personal courtyards. Don't bother with door access (not even the studio have the budget for that), but it’s entirely possible wander through a grain field, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and take a peek inside any small shack as long as the door is absent.
Appearance and Mood
While I was completely ready to see my metropolis represented with outdated visual quality, apart from certain rough movements and periodic inhabitants sitting inside seating as opposed to atop a bench, the first-person view appears much better than expected. The intricately designed surfaces (notably masonry elements) shouldn't logically be this impressive in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You may not see specific hair details, however, you can observe wall inscriptions, fiery particles from lamps, fading on bricks, iris elements, and conifer needles. The night, featuring dancing flames and stars shining in the distance, is especially atmospheric, and also a lot less scary versus the earlier title, given that the populace appears unlike nightmarish entities now.
Experimentation and Customization
Since Anno 117’s super-secret first-person mode has no guided tutorial, I opted to try different commands, and immediately located the abilities to leap, run, and zoom in or out — the zoom function permitting me to alternate between immersive and external perspectives and return. I then experimented with various digit inputs and discovered that I could change my character’s appearance. Amber garment? Crimson attire? Sapphire and amethyst dress? Or — perhaps even better — full armor? You might hold a weapon and defense, or, personally chosen, equip a shooter's costume; when you press the action key, you launch incendiary bolts heavenward. If you're interested, harming inhabitants is impossible (though I didn't test this, obviously).
Amusement and Inhabitant Dialogues
Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, as they're remarkably entertaining. Moments after I entered first-person mode, I heard a parent advising their offspring that “You cannot keep a fox as a pet and should you provide another poultry, your elder will punish you.” Understandable stance, father character. A friendly native Celtic person 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
At the moment I believed I’d discovered all there is to discover in Anno 117: Pax Romana’s first-person mode, I experienced the pleasure of driving through classical settlements. Completely unexpectedly, I selected a carriage and immediately found myself in the driver's position. Bovines, equines, even people-powered transports; you can drive them all at your leisure. The donkey-powered transport, notably, is pretty fast, though you shouldn’t imagine open-world vehicular chaos — colliding with pedestrians or other carts is impossible (once more, not admitting any attempts).
Combat Limitations
The sole aspect that let me down regarding the first-person view was discovering my inability to participate in any fighting. Sporting my soldier fit, I ran up to the enemy in the midst of battle and tried to harm them, only to be ignored completely. The proximate observation was still rather spectacular, and watching the enemy run, their appendages thrashing around, felt highly gratifying, though it might have been amazing to successfully impact objects via my incendiary bolts.
