Anno 117 Pax Romana's Hidden Gem Is a Impressive First-Person View.
Surprisingly — did you realize you can play Anno 117: Pax Romana from a first-person viewpoint? If you're thinking that, you feel equally astonished as I was when I discovered this hidden feature. I must briefly leave overseeing my civilization, entrust it to a capable deputy, commandere a carriage, and take a spin through Ancient Rome.
Activating the First-Person Feature
In its role as a city-builder, Anno 117 Pax Romana is typically played using a top-down camera. Yet, when you press a covert button sequence — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on keyboard or “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” with a gamepad — you gain the ability to walk the realm as a regular inhabitant. Since a similar easter egg was part of the previous Anno title, I looked forward to experience it in the new release, though I was uncertain it would work prior to being chin-deep in a Celtic floorboard (possibly an unexpected bug — this option is a little buggy at times).
Exploring the Streets of Rome
After extracting myself, I strolled the busy roads through my metropolis and explored stalls, alehouses, floral patches, and shellfish gatherers — it was glorious to observe my diligent efforts from a brand-new perspective. I detected numerous fine points I wouldn’t have spotted from above: Doorway embellishments, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, chickens running loose, people relaxing on their verandas… Even just observing the design of a windowsill and the paint layers on a column becomes engaging to modern individuals unfamiliar with ancient life.
More Than Just Walking
However, there's additional content to the first-person feature in Anno 117 than strolling along the road. I was especially delighted when I found out that I could not just look upon farming fields, but also access them. And although I’d assumed structures would be inaccessible, I managed to access clay pits, investigate a respected schoolhouse during active classes, and even trespass into people’s gardens. Avoid attempting to open doors (not even the studio planned for that functionality), yet it's completely feasible meander across a cereal plantation, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and take a peek inside any small shack as long as the door is absent.
Graphics and Ambiance
Although I was fully prepared to witness my city rendered using primitive rendering, excluding a few unpolished motions and sometimes citizens positioned inside seating instead of on a bench, first-person mode looks considerably improved over predictions. The meticulously crafted materials (notably masonry elements) really have no business being this good for a title that remains primarily overhead. You might not observe specific hair details, however, you can observe wall inscriptions, fiery particles from lamps, fading on bricks, iris elements, and evergreen foliage. Evening, with glowing light sources and celestial bodies twinkling afar, generates a uniquely immersive environment, and also a lot less scary compared to Anno 1800, given that the populace appears unlike terrifying apparitions now.
Experimentation and Customization
Given the covert first-person feature lacks official documentation, I chose to test various actions, and quickly discovered the abilities to leap, run, and changing perspective — the zoom function permitting me to switch between first and third-person views and return. I then experimented with some number buttons and discovered that I could change my avatar's look. Amber garment? Ruby clothing? Sapphire and amethyst dress? Or — potentially preferable — armored suit? You might hold a weapon and defense, or, personally chosen, equip a shooter's costume; if you hit the interaction button, you launch incendiary bolts heavenward. In case you’re wondering, it’s not possible to kill civilians (not that I’ve tried, of course).
Amusement and Inhabitant Dialogues
However, I had no desire to injure my people, as they're remarkably entertaining. Only seconds after I landed the first-person view, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that he “Can’t have a pet fox and if you feed it one more chicken, your grandmother will be furious.” Understandable stance, father character. A pleasant regional Celt then began complimenting my outstanding integration methods by calling it the “Best of both worlds,” while some cranky old lady opted to menace me: “Repeat that statement, and your disappearance will be permanent.”
The Fun of Vehicle Use
Just when I thought I’d discovered all there is to discover in Anno 117: Pax Romana’s first-person mode, I encountered the delight of riding in Ancient Rome. Completely unexpectedly, I selected a carriage and immediately found myself in the driver's position. Oxen, donkeys, even manually drawn vehicles; you can control each one as desired. The donkey cart, in particular, moves quite quickly, but don't anticipate Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — you can’t drive into people or other wagons (again, not saying I’ve tried).
Battle Constraints
The sole aspect that let me down in Anno 117’s first-person mode was finding out I couldn’t partake in any fighting. Wearing my military outfit, I charged toward adversaries in the midst of battle and tried to harm them, but was entirely disregarded. The close-up view remained quite impressive, and observing foes flee, their arms flailing about, proved very satisfying, but it would’ve been cool to effectively strike targets using my fiery projectiles.
