Anno 117 Pax Romana's Top Secret Is a Impressive First-Person Perspective.
Wait — did you know it's possible to experience the game Anno 117 in first-person? If you're thinking that, you’re just as shocked as my own reaction upon finding out this hidden feature. I must temporarily abandon my empire’s management, leave it in a capable deputy, take a wagon, and go for a joyride around the classical city.
Activating the First-Person Feature
In its role as a city-builder, Anno 117 Pax Romana usually operates from an overhead perspective. But, should you enter a secret combination — for example “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” using PC controls or “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on console — it becomes possible to roam your domain as a common citizen. Given a comparable hidden feature was included in the earlier game Anno 1800, I was eager to experience it in the new release, but I wasn’t sure it would work until I found myself stuck in a Celtic building (possibly an unexpected bug — this mode tends to be somewhat unstable occasionally).
Exploring the Roman Cityscape
Upon freeing myself, I strolled the busy roads across my settlement and explored shops, taverns, floral patches, and seafood collectors — the experience was splendid to observe my diligent efforts from a brand-new perspective. I noticed numerous fine points that would escape notice when viewing from overhead: Entryway ornaments, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, chickens running loose, people relaxing on their verandas… Even just observing the shape of a window sill and the paint layers on a column proves fascinating for those not residing in classical times.
More Than Just Walking
However, there's additional content to the first-person feature in Anno 117 than strolling along the road. I became extraordinarily excited when I found out that not only could I look upon agricultural plots, but also access them. And although I’d assumed structures would be inaccessible, I managed to access clay pits, tour an esteemed educational structure as teaching was underway, and even trespass into people’s gardens. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the developers have the budget for that), however, you can definitely stroll around a barley farm, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and look within any modest shelter provided the entrance is missing.
Graphics and Ambiance
While I was completely ready to observe my settlement depicted with outdated visual quality, besides some crude animations and sometimes citizens positioned within a bench instead of on a bench, the first-person view appears far superior to anticipations. The meticulously crafted materials (notably masonry elements) really have no business being this good in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You might not observe any individual strands of hair, yet you will notice wall inscriptions, flames emitting from lights, fading on bricks, iris elements, and evergreen foliage. The night, featuring dancing flames and stars shining in the distance, generates a uniquely immersive environment, and also a lot less scary versus the earlier title, given that the populace appears unlike nightmarish entities anymore.
Discovery and Modification
Given the covert first-person feature has no guided tutorial, I opted to try different commands, and promptly found the options to jump, sprint, and changing perspective — the zoom function permitting me to change from first-person to third-person mode and back. I then decided to hit certain numeric keys and discovered that I could change my representative's visual design. Golden robe? Red toga? Azure and violet outfit? Or — perhaps even better — full armor? You may carry a sword and shield, or, my favorite, don a marksman outfit; if you activate the engage command, you’ll fire burning arrows into the sky. If you're interested, it’s not possible to kill civilians (not that I’ve tried, of course).
Comedy and Population Encounters
But I wouldn’t wish to harm my citizens anyway, since they're incredibly amusing. Moments after I entered first-person mode, I heard a parent advising their offspring that “You cannot keep a fox as a pet and if you feed it one more chicken, your grandmother will be furious.” Understandable stance, father character. A friendly native Celtic person then started applauding my brilliant Romano-Celtic policies by calling it the “Best of both worlds,” meanwhile a grumpy senior female decided to threaten me: “Say that one more time, and they’ll never find your body.”
The Joy of Joyriding
Just when I thought I uncovered all possible content in Anno 117: Pax Romana’s first-person mode, I experienced the pleasure of driving across historical settings. Totally unintentionally, I selected a carriage and was promptly seated on the box. Bovines, equines, even people-powered transports; you can drive them all at your leisure. The ass-drawn vehicle, specifically, travels rather rapidly, though you shouldn’t imagine Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — colliding with pedestrians or other carts is impossible (again, not saying I’ve tried).
Combat Limitations
The single feature that frustrated me within the immersive perspective was discovering my inability to participate in any fighting. Equipped in warrior attire, I approached opposing forces amidst fighting and tried to harm them, only to be ignored completely. The proximate observation was still rather spectacular, and watching the enemy run, their arms flailing about, felt highly gratifying, but it would’ve been cool to effectively strike targets using my fiery projectiles.
