Anno 117: Pax Romana's Hidden Gem Is a Impressive First-Person Mode.
Wait — did you know gamers have the option to enjoy Anno 117 Pax Romana in first-person? If that’s your reaction, you feel equally astonished as I was the moment I learned this concealed mode. Allow me to briefly leave managing my empire, delegate it to a reliable subordinate, take a wagon, and take a spin through Ancient Rome.
Activating the First-Person Feature
Being a city-building title, the game Anno 117 is normally experienced from an overhead perspective. But, should you input a hidden code — including “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on keyboard or else “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” with a gamepad — you can explore the empire as an ordinary Roman. Since a similar easter egg was included in the earlier game Anno 1800, I was eager to test it in Ubisoft's newest game, though I was uncertain it would function until I found myself submerged in a structural glitch (possibly an unexpected bug — this mode tends to be somewhat unstable occasionally).
Exploring the Streets of Rome
Upon freeing myself, I wandered the busy roads through my metropolis and visited markets, breweries, blossom gardens, and seafood collectors — it was glorious to witness all my hard work from a brand-new perspective. I noticed numerous fine points I might have missed from above: Entryway ornaments, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, chickens running loose, people relaxing on their verandas… Even just observing the design of a windowsill and the coating on a pillar becomes engaging to someone who doesn’t live in Ancient Rome.
Beyond Simple Strolling
Yet, the experience extends to the first-person feature in Anno 117 than strolling along the road. I was especially delighted when I found out that I could not just view crop lands, but also step into them. And despite my expectation the building models would be off-limits, I was able to enter earthen quarries, tour an esteemed educational structure during active classes, and even trespass into people’s gardens. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the developers allocated resources for that), but it’s entirely possible stroll around a barley farm, observe people digging and transporting bags, and take a peek inside any small shack when there's no doorway obstructing.
Appearance and Mood
Although I was fully prepared to observe my settlement depicted using primitive rendering, besides some crude animations and sometimes citizens positioned within a bench as opposed to atop a bench, first-person mode looks far superior to anticipations. The highly detailed textures (notably masonry elements) really have no business being this good for a title that remains primarily overhead. You won't necessarily notice separate follicular elements, but you will see wall inscriptions, sparks flying from torches, discoloration of masonry, iris elements, and conifer needles. Evening, with glowing light sources and celestial bodies twinkling afar, generates a uniquely immersive environment, and feels much less frightening compared to Anno 1800, now that the citizens don’t look like sleep paralysis demons anymore.
Discovery and Modification
Since Anno 117’s super-secret first-person mode doesn’t come with an instruction manual, I chose to test various actions, and immediately located the abilities to leap, run, and adjusting the view — the last option enabling me to alternate between immersive and external perspectives and return. I subsequently tried pressing various digit inputs and found I could alter my avatar's look. Amber garment? Crimson attire? Azure and violet outfit? Or — potentially preferable — armored suit? You can wield a blade and protection, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; if you activate the engage command, you shoot flaming projectiles upward. If you're interested, harming inhabitants is impossible (not that I attempted, naturally).
Humor and Citizen Interactions
But I wouldn’t wish to harm my citizens anyway, since they're incredibly amusing. Shortly after I activated the immersive perspective, I overheard a father telling his child that “Owning a fox is prohibited and if you offer additional fowl, your grandmother will be furious.” Appropriate response, paternal figure. One lovely local Celt then started applauding my excellent cross-cultural strategies by describing it as “Ideal combination,” while some cranky old lady decided to threaten me: “Repeat that statement, and your disappearance will be permanent.”
The Thrill of Transportation
Just when I thought I had found everything available within the game's immersive perspective, I encountered the delight of riding in Ancient Rome. Completely unexpectedly, I clicked on a wagon and immediately found myself in the driver's position. Cattle, asses, even human-pulled carts; you may operate any of them freely. The donkey cart, in particular, travels rather rapidly, although you shouldn't expect Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (once more, not admitting any attempts).
Fighting Restrictions
The single feature that frustrated me within the immersive perspective was discovering my inability to participate in any fighting. Wearing my military outfit, I approached opposing forces during active combat and tried to harm them, yet was completely overlooked. The close-up view remained quite impressive, and watching the enemy run, their arms flailing about, felt highly gratifying, yet it would have been exciting to successfully impact objects with my burning arrows.
