Anno 117 Pax Romana's Top Secret Reveals Itself as a Stunning First-Person Perspective.
Hold on — were you aware gamers have the option to enjoy Anno 117 Pax Romana in first-person? Should that be your response, you’re just as shocked as I was the moment I learned this secret option. Excuse me while briefly leave overseeing my civilization, delegate it to a trusted assistant, commandere a carriage, and enjoy a ride through Ancient Rome.
Unlocking the First-Person View
As a city-building game, Anno 117 Pax Romana is typically played from an overhead perspective. But, should you enter a secret combination — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” using PC controls 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 included in Anno 1800, I felt excited to try it out in the latest installment, though I was uncertain it would work until I found myself submerged in a structural glitch (possibly an unexpected bug — this option can be a little buggy at times).
Roaming the Roman Cityscape
Upon freeing myself, I wandered the lively avenues through my metropolis and explored stalls, alehouses, floral patches, and shellfish gatherers — the experience was splendid to observe the fruits of my labor through a fresh lens. I observed a variety of intricacies I wouldn’t have spotted when viewing from overhead: Front door decorations, a donkey carrying a flower bucket, fowl roaming freely, people relaxing on their verandas… Simply noticing the shape of a window sill and the paint layers on a column is quite interesting to modern individuals unfamiliar with ancient life.
Further Than Mere Wandering
But there’s more to the game's immersive perspective beyond simply walking the paths. I felt particularly pleased upon discovering that besides being able to observe agricultural plots, but also step into them. And even though I thought structures would be inaccessible, I managed to access earthen quarries, investigate a respected schoolhouse while lessons were in session, and invade personal courtyards. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the developers allocated resources for that), however, you can definitely stroll around a barley farm, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and take a peek inside any small shack when there's no doorway obstructing.
Appearance and Mood
Although I was fully prepared to witness my city rendered using primitive rendering, besides some crude animations and the occasional civilian resting within a bench rather than on a bench, the first-person view appears considerably improved over predictions. The intricately designed surfaces (particularly rock faces) are unexpectedly excellent in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You may not see separate follicular elements, but you will see writings on surfaces, fiery particles from lamps, fading on bricks, iris elements, and pine tree leaves. Evening, with glowing light sources and distant stellar illumination, is especially atmospheric, and feels much less frightening compared to Anno 1800, given that the populace appears unlike sleep paralysis demons now.
Experimentation and Customization
Because the game's hidden immersive perspective doesn’t come with an instruction manual, I chose to test various actions, and promptly found the functions for jumping, dashing, and zoom in or out — the zoom function permitting me to alternate between immersive and external perspectives and back. I then experimented with some number buttons and learned I could modify my avatar's look. Golden robe? Ruby clothing? Sapphire and amethyst dress? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You may carry a sword and shield, or, personally chosen, equip a shooter's costume; when you press the action key, you shoot flaming projectiles upward. Should you be curious, eliminating citizens cannot be done (not that I attempted, naturally).
Amusement and Inhabitant Dialogues
Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, as they're remarkably entertaining. Shortly after I activated first-person mode, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that “You cannot keep a fox as a pet and should you provide another poultry, your elder will punish you.” Appropriate response, paternal figure. A friendly native Celtic person then started applauding my brilliant Romano-Celtic policies by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” meanwhile a grumpy senior female decided to threaten me: “Repeat that statement, and your disappearance will be permanent.”
The Thrill of Transportation
Just as I assumed I had found everything available in the title's first-person feature, I encountered the delight of riding in Ancient Rome. Totally unintentionally, I clicked on a wagon and immediately found myself in the driver's position. Oxen, donkeys, even people-powered transports; you may operate any of them freely. The donkey cart, in particular, travels rather rapidly, although you shouldn't expect any GTA-like shenanigans — colliding with pedestrians or other carts is impossible (again, not saying I’ve tried).
Fighting Restrictions
The single feature that frustrated me in Anno 117’s first-person mode was finding out I couldn’t partake in any fighting. Equipped in warrior attire, I approached opposing forces in the midst of battle and attempted to attack them, only to be ignored completely. The close-up view remained quite impressive, and watching the enemy run, their limbs waving wildly, felt highly gratifying, yet it would have been exciting to successfully impact objects using my fiery projectiles.
