Anno 117: Pax Romana's Best-Kept Secret Reveals Itself as a Breathtaking First-Person Perspective.
Hold on — were you aware gamers have the option to enjoy Anno 117: Pax Romana from a first-person viewpoint? Should that be your response, your surprise matches compared to my initial response when I discovered this secret option. I must temporarily abandon my empire’s management, entrust it to a reliable subordinate, take a wagon, and go for a joyride through Ancient Rome.
How to Access the First-Person Mode
In its role as a city-builder, the game Anno 117 is typically played from a bird's-eye view. But, should you enter a secret combination — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” using PC controls alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” with a gamepad — you gain the ability to walk the realm as a regular inhabitant. Given a comparable hidden feature appeared in Anno 1800, I felt excited to experience it in Ubisoft's newest game, yet I had doubts it would work until I found myself stuck in a Celtic building (likely not meant to happen — this feature tends to be a little buggy at times).
Roaming the Streets of Rome
Upon freeing myself, I walked the bustling streets of my city and toured markets, breweries, blossom gardens, and cockle pickers — it was glorious to witness all my hard work through a fresh lens. I observed numerous fine points I might have missed when viewing from overhead: Entryway ornaments, an ass transporting a floral pail, poultry scattering about, citizens lounging on their terraces… Even just observing the shape of a window sill and the coloration on a post becomes engaging to modern individuals unfamiliar with ancient life.
Further Than Mere Wandering
Yet, the experience extends to the first-person feature in Anno 117 beyond simply walking the paths. I felt particularly pleased upon discovering that not only could I observe agricultural plots, but also access them. And even though I thought interiors would be restricted, I managed to access mud extraction sites, explore a prestigious Grammaticus building as teaching was underway, and invade personal courtyards. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the creators planned for that functionality), however, you can definitely wander through a grain field, observe people digging and transporting bags, and glance into any tiny hut provided the entrance is missing.
Graphics and Ambiance
Even though I expected to witness my city rendered using primitive rendering, excluding a few unpolished motions and sometimes citizens positioned inside seating as opposed to atop a bench, the first-person view appears considerably improved over predictions. The meticulously crafted materials (notably masonry elements) shouldn't logically be this impressive within a game that's fundamentally a city-builder. You won't necessarily notice specific hair details, however, you can observe engravings on walls, fiery particles from lamps, fading on bricks, pupils, and pine tree leaves. Evening, with glowing light sources and distant stellar illumination, creates a particularly moody setting, and also a lot less scary compared to Anno 1800, especially since the inhabitants no longer resemble nightmarish entities these days.
Discovery and Modification
Since Anno 117’s super-secret first-person mode lacks official documentation, I decided to experiment a bit, and quickly discovered the functions for jumping, dashing, and zoom in or out — the zoom function permitting me to change from first-person to third-person mode and back. I subsequently tried pressing various digit inputs and found I could alter my avatar's look. Golden robe? Crimson attire? Azure and violet outfit? Or — potentially preferable — armored suit? You might hold a weapon and defense, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; when you press the action key, you shoot flaming projectiles upward. Should you be curious, eliminating citizens cannot be done (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. Shortly after I activated first-person mode, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that “You cannot keep a fox as a pet and if you feed it one more chicken, your elder will punish you.” Understandable stance, father character. A pleasant regional Celt then started applauding my brilliant Romano-Celtic policies by calling it the “Best of both worlds,” while some cranky old lady decided to threaten me: “Say that one more time, and they’ll never find your body.”
The Thrill of Transportation
Just when I thought I had found everything available in Anno 117: Pax Romana’s first-person mode, I found the joys of joyriding across historical settings. Totally unintentionally, I interacted with a cart and quickly occupied the transport. Oxen, donkeys, even manually drawn vehicles; you may operate any of them freely. The ass-drawn vehicle, specifically, is pretty fast, though you shouldn’t imagine any GTA-like shenanigans — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (reiterating, without confirming testing).
Combat Limitations
The sole aspect that let me down regarding the first-person view was finding out I couldn’t partake in combat situations. Equipped in warrior attire, I approached opposing forces amidst fighting and endeavored to damage them, but was entirely disregarded. The front-row seat remained quite impressive, and watching the enemy run, their appendages thrashing around, felt highly gratifying, though it might have been amazing to actually hit something using my fiery projectiles.
