Anno 117: Pax Romana's Best-Kept Secret Is a Stunning First-Person Perspective.
Wait — did you know it's possible to experience Anno 117 Pax Romana from a first-person viewpoint? Should that be your response, you’re just as shocked compared to my initial response the moment I learned this secret option. Allow me to briefly leave overseeing my civilization, delegate it to a capable deputy, commandere a carriage, and go for a joyride through Ancient Rome.
Unlocking the First-Person View
Being a city-building title, the game Anno 117 is typically played from a bird's-eye view. However, if you input a hidden code — for example “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on a keyboard alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on console — you can explore the empire as an ordinary Roman. Because an analogous secret was included in the earlier game Anno 1800, I looked forward to test it in the latest installment, but I wasn’t sure it would operate prior to being stuck in a Celtic building (which probably wasn’t intended — this option can be somewhat unstable occasionally).
Discovering the Ancient Streets
Once I crawled out, I strolled the lively avenues across my settlement and explored shops, taverns, blossom gardens, and seafood collectors — the experience was splendid to witness my diligent efforts using an entirely new viewpoint. I observed numerous fine points that would escape notice from the top-down view: Front door decorations, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, chickens running loose, folks chilling on their balconies… Simply noticing the shape of a window sill and the coloration on a post becomes engaging for those not residing in classical times.
Beyond Simple Strolling
But there’s more to the game's immersive perspective beyond simply walking the paths. I became extraordinarily excited upon discovering that besides being able to view farming fields, but also step into them. And even though I thought interiors would be restricted, I managed to access earthen quarries, tour an esteemed educational structure during active classes, and invade personal courtyards. Avoid attempting to open doors (not even the studio allocated resources for that), yet it's completely feasible stroll around a barley farm, observe people digging and transporting bags, and glance into any tiny hut as long as the door is absent.
Visual Quality and Atmosphere
While I was completely ready to see my metropolis represented with outdated visual quality, apart from certain rough movements and periodic inhabitants sitting inside seating instead of on a bench, the first-person view appears far superior to anticipations. The meticulously crafted materials (particularly rock faces) shouldn't logically be this impressive for a title that remains primarily overhead. You may not see specific hair details, but you will see engravings on walls, sparks flying from torches, brick decoloration, iris elements, and evergreen foliage. The night, featuring dancing flames and stars shining in the distance, generates a uniquely immersive environment, and feels much less frightening compared to Anno 1800, given that the populace appears unlike nightmarish entities these days.
Discovery and Modification
Since Anno 117’s super-secret first-person mode has no guided tutorial, I decided to experiment a bit, and quickly discovered the abilities to leap, run, and zoom in or out — the last option enabling me to alternate between immersive and external perspectives and return. I subsequently tried pressing some number buttons and discovered that I could change my avatar's look. Amber garment? Crimson attire? Sapphire and amethyst dress? Or — perhaps even better — full armor? You might hold a weapon and defense, or, my favorite, don a marksman outfit; when you press the action key, you launch incendiary bolts heavenward. Should you be curious, harming inhabitants is impossible (not that I attempted, naturally).
Comedy and Population Encounters
However, I had no desire to injure my people, since they're incredibly amusing. Only seconds after I landed the immersive perspective, I heard a parent advising their offspring that “You cannot keep a fox as a pet and if you feed it one more chicken, your gran will have your head.” Rightly so, Roman dad. A friendly native Celtic person then began complimenting my excellent cross-cultural strategies 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 Fun of Vehicle Use
At the moment I believed I had found everything available in the title's first-person feature, I found the joys of joyriding through classical settlements. Entirely by accident, I interacted with a cart and quickly occupied the transport. Oxen, donkeys, even manually drawn vehicles; you can control each one as desired. The ass-drawn vehicle, specifically, is pretty fast, although you shouldn't expect Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (again, not saying I’ve tried).
Combat Limitations
The sole aspect that let me down regarding the first-person view was finding out I couldn’t partake in any fighting. Sporting my soldier fit, I ran up to the enemy amidst fighting and tried to harm them, only to be ignored completely. The front-row seat was nonetheless magnificent, and watching the enemy run, their limbs waving wildly, seemed enormously rewarding, but it would’ve been cool to effectively strike targets with my burning arrows.