Anno 117: Pax Romana's Hidden Gem Reveals Itself as a Impressive First-Person View.
Surprisingly — did you realize you can play the game Anno 117 in first-person? Should that be your response, you’re just as shocked as my own reaction the moment I learned this secret option. Excuse me while briefly leave managing my empire, delegate it to a capable deputy, take a wagon, and go for a joyride through Ancient Rome.
Activating the First-Person Feature
In its role as a city-builder, Anno 117 Pax Romana is typically played from an overhead perspective. However, if you input a hidden code — including “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” using PC controls or “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on console — you gain the ability to walk your domain as a common citizen. Since a similar easter egg was included in the previous Anno title, I was eager to experience it in the new release, though I was uncertain it would function until I found myself chin-deep in a Celtic floorboard (likely not meant to happen — this option is a little buggy at times).
Discovering the Roman Cityscape
After extracting myself, I strolled the bustling streets across my settlement and explored stalls, alehouses, flower fields, and shellfish gatherers — it was glorious to witness 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: Front door decorations, an ass transporting a floral pail, chickens running loose, folks chilling on their balconies… Merely examining the design of a windowsill and the coloration on a post proves fascinating for those not residing in classical times.
Beyond Simple Strolling
But there’s more to the first-person feature in Anno 117 aside from meandering through streets. I was especially delighted the moment I learned that besides being able to view agricultural plots, but also step into them. And even though I thought interiors would be restricted, I was able to enter clay pits, explore a prestigious Grammaticus building as teaching was underway, and invade personal courtyards. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the studio allocated resources for that), yet it's completely feasible stroll around a barley farm, 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 see my metropolis represented using primitive rendering, apart from certain rough movements and periodic inhabitants sitting within a bench instead of on a bench, the first-person view appears much better than expected. The intricately designed surfaces (notably masonry elements) really have no business being this good in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You might not observe specific hair details, however, you can observe wall inscriptions, sparks flying from torches, discoloration of masonry, pupils, and pine tree leaves. Evening, with glowing light sources and distant stellar illumination, creates a particularly moody setting, and proves significantly less intimidating relative to the previous game, given that the populace appears unlike terrifying apparitions these days.
Discovery and Modification
Given the covert first-person feature lacks official documentation, I opted to try different commands, and quickly discovered the functions for jumping, dashing, and zoom in or out — the zoom function permitting me to switch between first and third-person views and back. I subsequently tried pressing some number buttons and found I could alter my character’s appearance. Golden robe? Red toga? Azure and violet outfit? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You may carry a sword and shield, or, personally chosen, equip a shooter's costume; if you activate the engage command, you’ll fire burning arrows into the sky. In case you’re wondering, it’s not possible to kill civilians (not that I’ve tried, of course).
Humor and Citizen Interactions
But I wouldn’t wish to harm my citizens anyway, since they're incredibly amusing. Shortly after I activated the immersive perspective, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that “Owning a fox is prohibited and if you feed it one more chicken, your elder will punish you.” Understandable stance, father character. A pleasant regional Celt then began complimenting my brilliant Romano-Celtic policies by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” while some cranky old lady chose to intimidate me: “Utter those words again, and your fate will be sealed.”
The Joy of Joyriding
Just as I assumed I had found everything available in Anno 117: Pax Romana’s first-person mode, I experienced the pleasure of driving in Ancient Rome. Totally unintentionally, I clicked on a wagon and was promptly seated on the box. Oxen, donkeys, even manually drawn vehicles; you can control each one as desired. The donkey-powered transport, notably, is pretty fast, although you shouldn't expect open-world vehicular chaos — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (once more, not admitting any attempts).
Combat Limitations
The single feature that frustrated me in Anno 117’s first-person mode was learning about my exclusion from in combat situations. Wearing my military outfit, I approached opposing forces amidst fighting and attempted to attack them, yet was completely overlooked. The front-row seat was still rather spectacular, 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.
