Anno 117's Pax Romana's Best-Kept Secret Is a Breathtaking First-Person Mode.

Surprisingly — did you realize gamers have the option to enjoy Anno 117 Pax Romana in first-person? Should that be your response, you feel equally astonished as I was upon finding out this secret option. Allow me to briefly leave my empire’s management, entrust it to a capable deputy, borrow a cart, and enjoy a ride across the Roman world.

Unlocking the First-Person View

Being a city-building title, Anno 117 Pax Romana is normally experienced using a top-down camera. 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” with a gamepad — it becomes possible to roam the empire as an ordinary Roman. Given a comparable hidden feature was part of Anno 1800, I felt excited to try it out in the latest installment, though I was uncertain it would function until I found myself chin-deep in a Celtic floorboard (possibly an unexpected bug — this feature is somewhat unstable occasionally).

Exploring the Roman Cityscape

After extracting myself, I wandered the lively avenues through my metropolis and visited markets, breweries, flower fields, and shellfish gatherers — it was glorious to observe my diligent efforts using an entirely new viewpoint. I observed all kinds of details I might have missed from the top-down view: Doorway embellishments, an ass transporting a floral pail, chickens running loose, people relaxing on their verandas… Even just observing the design of a windowsill and the coating on a pillar is quite interesting for those not residing in classical times.

More Than Just Walking

However, there's additional content to the first-person feature in Anno 117 than strolling along the road. I felt particularly pleased when I found out that besides being able to observe agricultural plots, but also step into them. And even though I thought the building models would be off-limits, I managed to access clay pits, investigate a respected schoolhouse while lessons were in session, and invade personal courtyards. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the studio have the budget for that), however, you can definitely stroll around a barley farm, watch folks shoveling and carrying sacks, and look within any modest shelter when there's no doorway obstructing.

Visual Quality and Atmosphere

Although I was fully prepared to see my metropolis represented in PlayStation 1 graphics, besides some crude animations and periodic inhabitants sitting inside seating as opposed to atop a bench, the immersive perspective seems far superior to anticipations. The meticulously crafted materials (particularly rock faces) are unexpectedly excellent for a title that remains primarily overhead. You may not see specific hair details, yet you will notice wall inscriptions, fiery particles from lamps, fading on bricks, iris elements, and conifer needles. Nighttime, with its flickering fires and distant stellar illumination, creates a particularly moody setting, and proves significantly less intimidating compared to Anno 1800, given that the populace appears unlike nightmarish entities these days.

Discovery and Modification

Because the game's hidden immersive perspective doesn’t come with an instruction manual, I decided to experiment a bit, and quickly discovered the abilities to leap, run, and adjusting the view — the last option enabling me to alternate between immersive and external perspectives and revert. I subsequently tried pressing certain numeric keys and discovered that I could change my character’s appearance. Golden robe? Ruby clothing? Azure and violet outfit? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You might hold a weapon and defense, or, my favorite, don a marksman outfit; when you press the action key, you shoot flaming projectiles upward. If you're interested, it’s not possible to kill civilians (though I didn't test this, obviously).

Comedy and Population Encounters

Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, because they’re way too funny. Moments after I entered the immersive perspective, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that he “Can’t have a pet fox and should you provide another poultry, your grandmother will be furious.” Understandable stance, father character. A pleasant regional Celt then began complimenting my brilliant Romano-Celtic policies by describing it as “Ideal combination,” meanwhile a grumpy senior female decided to threaten me: “Say that one more time, and they’ll never find your body.”

The Joy of Joyriding

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 through classical settlements. Completely unexpectedly, I clicked on a wagon and immediately found myself in the driver's position. Oxen, donkeys, even manually drawn vehicles; you can control each one as desired. The ass-drawn vehicle, specifically, travels rather rapidly, though you shouldn’t imagine any GTA-like shenanigans — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (once more, not admitting any attempts).

Combat Limitations

The only thing that disappointed me in Anno 117’s first-person mode was finding out I couldn’t partake in any fighting. Wearing my military outfit, I approached opposing forces in the midst of battle and attempted to attack them, only to be ignored completely. The close-up view was nonetheless magnificent, and seeing opponents retreat, their limbs waving wildly, proved very satisfying, but it would’ve been cool to actually hit something using my fiery projectiles.

{Conclusion: More to Discover|Final Thoughts: Additional Exploration