Anno 117 Pax Romana's Hidden Gem Turns Out to Be a Stunning First-Person Mode.
Hold on — were you aware it's possible to experience the game Anno 117 using a first-person camera? If that’s your reaction, you’re just as shocked compared to my initial response upon finding out this secret option. I must step away from my empire’s management, delegate it to a capable deputy, take a wagon, and enjoy a ride 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 “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” with a gamepad — it becomes possible to roam the empire as an ordinary Roman. Given a comparable hidden feature was included in the earlier game Anno 1800, I looked forward to experience it in Ubisoft's newest game, yet I had doubts it would work until I found myself stuck in a Celtic building (which probably wasn’t intended — this option can be a little buggy at times).
Discovering the Roman Cityscape
Once I crawled out, I walked the busy roads through my metropolis and explored shops, taverns, flower fields, and seafood collectors — the experience was splendid to observe my diligent efforts through a fresh lens. I noticed 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… Even just observing the design of a windowsill and the paint layers on a column is quite interesting for those not residing in classical times.
Further Than Mere Wandering
Yet, the experience extends to the first-person feature in Anno 117 aside from meandering through streets. I became extraordinarily excited the moment I learned that not only could I look upon agricultural plots, but also access them. And even though I thought interiors would be restricted, I was able to enter mud extraction sites, investigate a respected schoolhouse during active classes, and even trespass into people’s gardens. Don't bother with door access (not even the developers allocated resources for that), yet it's completely feasible wander through a grain field, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and look within any modest shelter provided the entrance is missing.
Visual Quality and Atmosphere
Although I was fully prepared to see my metropolis represented with outdated visual quality, excluding a few unpolished motions and periodic inhabitants sitting within a bench instead of on a bench, first-person mode looks far superior to anticipations. The highly detailed textures (especially stone surfaces) are unexpectedly excellent for a title that remains primarily overhead. You might not observe separate follicular elements, however, you can observe wall inscriptions, sparks flying from torches, brick decoloration, eye details, and evergreen foliage. The night, featuring dancing flames and stars shining in the distance, creates a particularly moody setting, and also a lot less scary compared to Anno 1800, now that the citizens don’t look like terrifying apparitions these days.
Experimentation and Customization
Because the game's hidden immersive perspective has no guided tutorial, I opted to try different commands, and quickly discovered the abilities to leap, run, and changing perspective — with the latter allowing me to change from first-person to third-person mode and back. I then decided to hit some number buttons and learned I could modify my avatar's look. Amber garment? Ruby clothing? Azure and violet outfit? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You can wield a blade and protection, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; when you press the action key, you shoot flaming projectiles upward. In case you’re wondering, eliminating citizens cannot be done (though I didn't test this, obviously).
Comedy and Population Encounters
However, I had no desire to injure my people, since they're incredibly amusing. Moments after I entered the immersive perspective, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that “Owning a fox is prohibited and should you provide another poultry, your gran will have your head.” Appropriate response, paternal figure. One lovely local Celt then began complimenting my brilliant Romano-Celtic policies by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” meanwhile a grumpy senior female opted to menace 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 across historical settings. Totally unintentionally, I interacted with a cart and was promptly seated on the box. Bovines, equines, even people-powered transports; you can drive them all at your leisure. The ass-drawn vehicle, specifically, travels rather rapidly, though you shouldn’t imagine open-world vehicular chaos — you can’t drive into people or other wagons (reiterating, without confirming testing).
Battle Constraints
The only thing that disappointed me in Anno 117’s first-person mode was learning about my exclusion from in any fighting. Equipped in warrior attire, I approached opposing forces in the midst of battle and tried to harm them, but was entirely disregarded. The close-up view was still rather spectacular, and watching the enemy run, their appendages thrashing around, proved very satisfying, but it would’ve been cool to successfully impact objects via my incendiary bolts.
