Anno 117: Pax Romana's Hidden Gem Reveals Itself as a Impressive First-Person Perspective.
Wait — did you know you can play Anno 117 Pax Romana from a first-person viewpoint? Should that be your response, you feel equally astonished as I was upon finding out this hidden feature. Excuse me while briefly leave managing my empire, leave it in a reliable subordinate, commandere a carriage, and go for a joyride across the Roman world.
Activating the First-Person View
In its role as a city-builder, Anno 117: Pax Romana is typically played using a top-down camera. But, should you press a covert button sequence — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on a keyboard or “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” with a gamepad — you gain the ability to walk your domain as a common citizen. Given a comparable hidden feature was part of Anno 1800, I felt excited to experience it in the new release, though I was uncertain it would work prior to being chin-deep in a Celtic floorboard (likely not meant to happen — this mode can be a little buggy at times).
Discovering the Streets of Rome
Upon freeing myself, I walked the lively avenues across my settlement and explored stalls, alehouses, blossom gardens, and shellfish gatherers — it felt magnificent to witness my diligent efforts using an entirely new viewpoint. I detected numerous fine points that would escape notice from above: Entryway ornaments, an ass transporting a floral pail, chickens running loose, citizens lounging on their terraces… Simply noticing the form of a ledge and the coating on a pillar proves fascinating to modern individuals unfamiliar with ancient life.
Beyond Simple Strolling
But there’s more to the first-person feature in Anno 117 than strolling along the road. I was especially delighted when I found out that not only could I observe farming fields, but also enter them. And although I’d assumed structures would be inaccessible, I managed to access clay pits, explore a prestigious Grammaticus building during active classes, and even trespass into people’s gardens. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the creators have the budget for that), yet it's completely feasible wander through a grain field, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and look within any modest shelter when there's no doorway obstructing.
Appearance and Mood
While I was completely ready to witness my city rendered in PlayStation 1 graphics, apart from certain rough movements and periodic inhabitants sitting in a bench as opposed to atop a bench, the first-person view appears considerably improved over predictions. The meticulously crafted materials (particularly rock faces) are unexpectedly excellent 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, flames emitting from lights, brick decoloration, eye details, and evergreen foliage. Nighttime, with its flickering fires and distant stellar illumination, creates a particularly moody setting, and proves significantly less intimidating versus the earlier title, given that the populace appears unlike sleep paralysis demons now.
Experimentation and Customization
Since Anno 117’s super-secret first-person mode has no guided tutorial, I chose to test various actions, and immediately located the abilities to leap, run, and adjusting the view — the last option enabling me to change from first-person to third-person mode and back. I then experimented with various digit inputs and found I could alter my avatar's look. Yellow toga? Ruby clothing? Sapphire and amethyst dress? Or — potentially preferable — armored suit? 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. In case you’re wondering, eliminating citizens cannot be done (though I didn't test this, obviously).
Comedy and Population Encounters
However, I had no desire to injure my people, since they're incredibly amusing. Shortly after I activated first-person mode, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that he “Can’t have a pet fox and if you offer additional fowl, your elder will punish you.” Appropriate response, paternal figure. A friendly native Celtic person then started applauding my brilliant Romano-Celtic policies by calling it the “Best of both worlds,” whereas an irritable elderly woman chose to intimidate me: “Repeat that statement, and your disappearance will be permanent.”
The Thrill of Transportation
Just when I thought I had found everything available in the title's first-person feature, I encountered the delight of riding across historical settings. Entirely by accident, I selected a carriage and immediately found myself in the driver's position. Cattle, asses, even people-powered transports; you can control each one as desired. The donkey-powered transport, notably, moves quite quickly, although you shouldn't expect any GTA-like shenanigans — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (reiterating, without confirming testing).
Battle Constraints
The sole aspect that let me down regarding the first-person view was finding out I couldn’t partake in battle encounters. Equipped in warrior attire, I approached opposing forces amidst fighting and endeavored to damage them, yet was completely overlooked. The front-row seat remained quite impressive, and watching the enemy run, their appendages thrashing around, proved very satisfying, yet it would have been exciting to actually hit something with my burning arrows.
