Anno 117: Pax Romana's Best-Kept Secret Reveals Itself as a Breathtaking First-Person Mode.
Surprisingly — did you realize gamers have the option to enjoy Anno 117 Pax Romana using a first-person camera? If that’s your reaction, you’re just as shocked compared to my initial response upon finding out this hidden feature. Allow me to step away from managing my empire, leave it in a reliable subordinate, commandere a carriage, and go for a joyride around the classical city.
Unlocking the First-Person Mode
As a city-building game, the game Anno 117 is normally experienced using a top-down camera. Yet, when you input a hidden code — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” using PC controls alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on a controller — you can explore the empire as an ordinary Roman. Given a comparable hidden feature was included in the earlier game Anno 1800, I was eager to test it in the latest installment, though I was uncertain it would operate before I discovered myself submerged in a structural glitch (likely not meant to happen — this option is somewhat unstable occasionally).
Exploring the Roman Cityscape
Upon freeing myself, I walked the lively avenues of my city and toured markets, breweries, blossom gardens, and shellfish gatherers — the experience was splendid to see the fruits of my labor using an entirely new viewpoint. I observed a variety of intricacies I wouldn’t have spotted from the top-down view: Doorway embellishments, a donkey carrying a flower bucket, poultry scattering about, citizens lounging on their terraces… Simply noticing the shape of a window sill and the coating on a pillar becomes engaging to modern individuals unfamiliar with ancient life.
More Than Just Walking
But there’s more to the first-person feature in Anno 117 beyond simply walking the paths. I became extraordinarily excited upon discovering that not only could I look upon crop lands, but also access them. And despite my expectation interiors would be restricted, I could walk onto earthen quarries, investigate a respected schoolhouse as teaching was underway, and intrude into private gardens. Don't bother with door access (not even the developers planned for that functionality), yet it's completely feasible wander through a grain field, observe people digging and transporting bags, and glance into any tiny hut when there's no doorway obstructing.
Visual Quality and Atmosphere
Even though I expected to observe my settlement depicted with outdated visual quality, excluding a few unpolished motions and periodic inhabitants sitting inside seating rather than on a bench, the first-person view appears far superior to anticipations. The intricately designed surfaces (particularly rock faces) are unexpectedly excellent in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You might not observe separate follicular elements, but you will see wall inscriptions, fiery particles from lamps, brick decoloration, pupils, and pine tree leaves. Evening, with glowing light sources and stars shining in the distance, generates a uniquely immersive environment, and feels much less frightening versus the earlier title, given that the populace appears unlike terrifying apparitions now.
Testing and Personalization
Given the covert first-person feature has no guided tutorial, I opted to try different commands, and quickly discovered the abilities to leap, run, and changing perspective — the last option enabling me to change from first-person to third-person mode and back. I then experimented with certain numeric keys and learned I could modify my representative's visual design. Yellow toga? Ruby clothing? Blue and purple toga? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You might hold a weapon and defense, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; when you press the action key, you launch incendiary bolts heavenward. In case you’re wondering, it’s not possible to kill civilians (not that I attempted, naturally).
Humor and Citizen Interactions
However, I had no desire to injure my people, since they're incredibly amusing. Moments after I entered first-person mode, I overheard a father telling his child that he “Can’t have a pet fox and if you feed it one more chicken, your gran will have your head.” Rightly so, Roman dad. A friendly native Celtic person then started applauding my excellent cross-cultural strategies by describing it as “Ideal combination,” meanwhile a grumpy senior female decided to threaten me: “Utter those words again, and your fate will be sealed.”
The Thrill of Transportation
At the moment I believed I uncovered all possible content in the title's first-person feature, I encountered the delight of riding across historical settings. Completely unexpectedly, I clicked on a wagon and was promptly seated on the box. Oxen, donkeys, even human-pulled carts; you can drive them all at your leisure. The donkey cart, in particular, is pretty fast, though you shouldn’t imagine Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — colliding with pedestrians or other carts is impossible (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. Wearing my military outfit, I charged toward adversaries in the midst of battle and tried to harm them, yet was completely overlooked. The proximate observation was still rather spectacular, and observing foes flee, their limbs waving wildly, proved very satisfying, though it might have been amazing to actually hit something using my fiery projectiles.
