Anno 117 Pax Romana's Top Secret Reveals Itself as a Stunning First-Person Perspective.
Surprisingly — did you realize gamers have the option to enjoy Anno 117: Pax Romana from a first-person viewpoint? If that’s your reaction, you feel equally astonished compared to my initial response upon finding out this hidden feature. I must step away from managing my empire, leave it in a trusted assistant, take a wagon, and go for a joyride through Ancient Rome.
How to Access 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 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 your domain as a common citizen. Given a comparable hidden feature was part of the earlier game Anno 1800, I was eager to experience it in Ubisoft's newest game, though I was uncertain it would work until I found myself submerged in a structural glitch (likely not meant to happen — this mode is a little buggy at times).
Exploring the Streets of Rome
Once I crawled out, I strolled the busy roads across my settlement and explored markets, breweries, flower fields, and shellfish gatherers — it was glorious to see all my hard work through a fresh lens. I detected numerous fine points I wouldn’t have spotted from the top-down view: Doorway embellishments, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, poultry scattering about, citizens lounging on their terraces… Merely examining the shape of a window sill and the paint layers on a column becomes engaging to modern individuals unfamiliar with ancient life.
More Than Just Walking
Yet, the experience extends to Anno 117’s first-person mode than strolling along the road. I was especially delighted upon discovering that not only could I observe crop lands, but also enter them. And although I’d assumed interiors would be restricted, I was able to enter mud extraction sites, investigate a respected schoolhouse as teaching was underway, and intrude into private gardens. Don't bother with door access (not even the creators planned for that functionality), yet it's completely feasible meander across a cereal plantation, watch folks shoveling and carrying sacks, and take a peek inside any small shack as long as the door is absent.
Graphics and Ambiance
While I was completely ready to observe my settlement depicted in PlayStation 1 graphics, excluding a few unpolished motions and periodic inhabitants sitting inside seating rather than on a bench, the first-person view appears considerably improved over predictions. The meticulously crafted materials (especially stone surfaces) are unexpectedly excellent for a title that remains primarily overhead. You may not see any individual strands of hair, however, you can observe wall inscriptions, fiery particles from lamps, discoloration of masonry, pupils, and evergreen foliage. Evening, with glowing light sources and distant stellar illumination, creates a particularly moody setting, and proves significantly less intimidating relative to the previous game, especially since the inhabitants no longer resemble terrifying apparitions anymore.
Experimentation and Customization
Since Anno 117’s super-secret first-person mode has no guided tutorial, I chose to test various actions, and promptly found the functions for jumping, dashing, and changing perspective — the zoom function permitting me to change from first-person to third-person mode and return. I then decided to hit various digit inputs and learned I could modify my representative's visual design. Amber garment? Red toga? Sapphire and amethyst dress? Or — potentially preferable — armored suit? You might hold a weapon and defense, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; if you hit the interaction button, you shoot flaming projectiles upward. If you're interested, it’s not possible to kill civilians (though I didn't test this, obviously).
Humor and Citizen Interactions
Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, since they're incredibly amusing. Shortly after I activated the immersive perspective, I heard a parent advising their offspring that he “Can’t have a pet fox and should you provide another poultry, your elder will punish you.” Rightly so, Roman dad. A pleasant regional Celt then proceeded to praise my excellent cross-cultural strategies by calling it the “Best of both worlds,” while some cranky old lady opted to menace me: “Utter those words again, and your fate will be sealed.”
The Fun of Vehicle Use
Just as I assumed I had found everything available within the game's immersive perspective, I encountered the delight of riding in Ancient Rome. Entirely by accident, I selected a carriage and immediately found myself in the driver's position. Bovines, equines, even human-pulled carts; you may operate any of them freely. The donkey cart, in particular, moves quite quickly, though you shouldn’t imagine any GTA-like shenanigans — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (again, not saying I’ve tried).
Combat Limitations
The only thing that disappointed me regarding the first-person view was discovering my inability to participate in any fighting. Equipped in warrior attire, I ran up to the enemy amidst fighting and attempted to attack them, only to be ignored completely. The front-row seat remained quite impressive, and watching the enemy run, their appendages thrashing around, felt highly gratifying, but it would’ve been cool to successfully impact objects using my fiery projectiles.
