Anno 117: Pax Romana's Top Secret Reveals Itself as a Stunning First-Person Mode.
Wait — did you know it's possible to experience Anno 117 Pax Romana in first-person? Should that be your response, you feel equally astonished compared to my initial response upon finding out this secret option. I must briefly leave overseeing my civilization, leave it in a reliable subordinate, take a wagon, and enjoy a ride around the classical city.
Activating the First-Person Feature
In its role as a city-builder, the game Anno 117 usually operates using a top-down camera. But, should you press a covert button sequence — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on keyboard alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on console — you can explore the realm as a regular inhabitant. Given a comparable hidden feature was part of the previous Anno title, I looked forward to experience it in Ubisoft's newest game, though I was uncertain it would work until I found myself chin-deep in a Celtic floorboard (possibly an unexpected bug — this feature is prone to glitches now and then).
Exploring the Roman Cityscape
Once I crawled out, I strolled the bustling streets of my city and toured stalls, alehouses, floral patches, and shellfish gatherers — it felt magnificent to witness my diligent efforts using an entirely new viewpoint. I observed a variety of intricacies that would escape notice from above: Entryway ornaments, a donkey carrying a flower bucket, chickens running loose, folks chilling on their balconies… Merely examining the shape of a window sill and the paint layers on a column becomes engaging for those not residing in classical times.
Further Than Mere Wandering
Yet, the experience extends to Anno 117’s first-person mode aside from meandering through streets. I felt particularly pleased the moment I learned that besides being able to view farming fields, but also enter them. And despite my expectation structures would be inaccessible, I could walk onto clay pits, investigate a respected schoolhouse as teaching was underway, and invade personal courtyards. Don't bother with door access (not even the developers allocated resources for that), yet it's completely feasible wander through a grain field, observe people digging and transporting bags, and look within any modest shelter provided the entrance is missing.
Visual Quality and Atmosphere
Although I was fully prepared to witness my city rendered with outdated visual quality, besides some crude animations and sometimes citizens positioned within a bench instead of on a bench, first-person mode looks much better than expected. The meticulously crafted materials (notably masonry elements) shouldn't logically be this impressive within a game that's fundamentally a city-builder. You may not see separate follicular elements, yet you will notice wall inscriptions, fiery particles from lamps, brick decoloration, eye details, and evergreen foliage. Nighttime, with its flickering fires and celestial bodies twinkling afar, is especially atmospheric, and feels much less frightening relative to the previous game, especially since the inhabitants no longer resemble terrifying apparitions these days.
Discovery and Modification
Since Anno 117’s super-secret first-person mode has no guided tutorial, I opted to try different commands, and promptly found the options to jump, sprint, and changing perspective — with the latter allowing me to switch between first and third-person views and back. I then decided to hit certain numeric keys and discovered that I could change my avatar's look. Yellow toga? Ruby clothing? Sapphire and amethyst dress? Or — perhaps even better — full armor? You may carry a sword and shield, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; if you hit the interaction button, you launch incendiary bolts heavenward. 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, as they're remarkably entertaining. Shortly after I activated the first-person view, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that “Owning a fox is prohibited and if you feed it one more chicken, your grandmother will be furious.” Appropriate response, paternal figure. A pleasant regional Celt then started applauding my excellent cross-cultural strategies by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” meanwhile a grumpy senior female decided to threaten me: “Say that one more time, and they’ll never find your body.”
The Thrill of Transportation
Just as I assumed I had found everything available within the game's immersive perspective, I experienced the pleasure of driving in Ancient Rome. Totally unintentionally, I selected a carriage and immediately found myself in the driver's position. Bovines, equines, even people-powered transports; you can control each one as desired. 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 regarding the first-person view was discovering my inability to participate in any fighting. Equipped in warrior attire, I approached opposing forces in the midst of battle and attempted to attack them, yet was completely overlooked. The close-up view was still rather spectacular, and seeing opponents retreat, their arms flailing about, seemed enormously rewarding, though it might have been amazing to effectively strike targets via my incendiary bolts.
