Anno 117 Pax Romana's Top Secret Turns Out to Be a Breathtaking First-Person Perspective.
Hold on — were you aware it's possible to experience the game Anno 117 from a first-person viewpoint? If that’s your reaction, you’re just as shocked as my own reaction upon finding out this secret option. Allow me to briefly leave my empire’s management, leave it in a reliable subordinate, commandere a carriage, and enjoy a ride across the Roman world.
Activating the First-Person Mode
In its role as a city-builder, the game Anno 117 usually operates from a bird's-eye view. But, should you input a hidden code — including “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on a keyboard or else “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on a controller — you can explore the empire as an ordinary Roman. Since a similar easter egg was part of the previous Anno title, I felt excited to experience it in Ubisoft's newest game, but I wasn’t sure it would function before I discovered myself chin-deep in a Celtic floorboard (likely not meant to happen — this option is prone to glitches now and then).
Roaming the Ancient Streets
Upon freeing myself, I strolled the busy roads of my city and visited stalls, alehouses, floral patches, and seafood collectors — the experience was splendid to observe the fruits of my labor through a fresh lens. I noticed all kinds of details I wouldn’t have spotted from above: Front door decorations, a donkey carrying a flower bucket, fowl roaming freely, folks chilling on their balconies… Simply noticing the form of a ledge and the coloration on a post proves fascinating to modern individuals unfamiliar with ancient life.
More Than Just Walking
But there’s more to the first-person feature in Anno 117 aside from meandering through streets. I became extraordinarily excited when I found out that I could not just observe agricultural plots, but also step into them. And even though I thought structures would be inaccessible, I could walk onto earthen quarries, explore a prestigious Grammaticus building during active classes, and intrude into private gardens. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the creators have the budget for that), however, you can definitely stroll around a barley farm, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and glance into any tiny hut when there's no doorway obstructing.
Graphics and Ambiance
While I was completely ready to observe my settlement depicted in PlayStation 1 graphics, apart from certain rough movements and sometimes citizens positioned in a bench as opposed to atop a bench, the immersive perspective seems 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 might not observe any individual strands of hair, however, you can observe writings on surfaces, sparks flying from torches, fading on bricks, iris elements, and evergreen foliage. The night, featuring dancing flames and distant stellar illumination, generates a uniquely immersive environment, and also a lot less scary compared to Anno 1800, given that the populace appears unlike sleep paralysis demons now.
Discovery and Modification
Given the covert first-person feature doesn’t come with an instruction manual, I opted to try different commands, and immediately located the options to jump, sprint, and changing perspective — the zoom function permitting me to alternate between immersive and external perspectives and return. I subsequently tried pressing various digit inputs and learned I could modify my character’s appearance. Golden robe? Red toga? Azure and violet outfit? Or — perhaps even better — full armor? You might hold a weapon and defense, or, personally chosen, equip a shooter's costume; when you press the action key, you’ll fire burning arrows into the sky. In case you’re wondering, harming inhabitants is impossible (though I didn't test this, obviously).
Comedy and Population Encounters
However, I had no desire to injure my people, because they’re way too funny. Only seconds after I landed the first-person view, I heard a parent advising their offspring that “Owning a fox is prohibited and if you offer additional fowl, your gran will have your head.” Appropriate response, paternal figure. One lovely local Celt then started applauding my excellent cross-cultural strategies by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” whereas an irritable elderly woman decided to threaten me: “Repeat that statement, and your disappearance will be permanent.”
The Thrill of Transportation
Just as I assumed I uncovered all possible content in Anno 117: Pax Romana’s first-person mode, I found the joys of joyriding through classical settlements. Completely unexpectedly, I interacted with a cart and was promptly seated on the box. Oxen, donkeys, even human-pulled carts; you can drive them all at your leisure. The ass-drawn vehicle, specifically, is pretty fast, although you shouldn't expect any GTA-like shenanigans — you can’t drive into people or other wagons (reiterating, without confirming testing).
Battle Constraints
The only thing that disappointed me regarding the first-person view was finding out I couldn’t partake in any fighting. Equipped in warrior attire, I charged toward adversaries in the midst of battle and tried to harm them, but was entirely disregarded. The front-row seat remained quite impressive, and observing foes flee, their arms flailing about, proved very satisfying, yet it would have been exciting to actually hit something with my burning arrows.