Anno 117: Pax Romana's Best-Kept Secret Is a Stunning First-Person Mode.
Hold on — were you aware you can play Anno 117 Pax Romana using a first-person camera? If you're thinking that, your surprise matches as I was the moment I learned this hidden feature. I must temporarily abandon managing my empire, leave it in a trusted assistant, commandere a carriage, and go for a joyride across the Roman world.
How to Access the First-Person Mode
As a city-building game, Anno 117 Pax Romana is typically played from an overhead perspective. But, should you press a covert button sequence — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on keyboard or else “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on console — you gain the ability to walk the empire as an ordinary Roman. Because an analogous secret appeared in the previous Anno title, I felt excited to try it out in the new release, yet I had doubts it would function before I discovered myself chin-deep in a Celtic floorboard (likely not meant to happen — this feature tends to be a little buggy at times).
Roaming the Streets of Rome
Upon freeing myself, I wandered the busy roads across my settlement and visited stalls, alehouses, flower fields, and cockle pickers — the experience was splendid to see my diligent efforts from a brand-new perspective. I observed a variety of intricacies I wouldn’t have spotted from above: Entryway ornaments, an ass transporting a floral pail, fowl roaming freely, folks chilling on their balconies… Merely examining the form of a ledge and the paint layers on a column is quite interesting for those not residing in classical times.
Beyond Simple Strolling
Yet, the experience extends to Anno 117’s first-person mode beyond simply walking the paths. I felt particularly pleased upon discovering that besides being able to view agricultural plots, but also access them. And although I’d assumed the building models would be off-limits, I could walk onto earthen quarries, explore a prestigious Grammaticus building while lessons were in session, and invade personal courtyards. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the studio planned for that functionality), but it’s entirely possible stroll around a barley farm, watch folks shoveling and carrying sacks, and take a peek inside any small shack provided the entrance is missing.
Visual Quality and Atmosphere
Although I was fully prepared to observe my settlement depicted in PlayStation 1 graphics, apart from certain rough movements and sometimes citizens positioned within a bench instead of on a bench, the immersive perspective seems considerably improved over predictions. The meticulously crafted materials (notably masonry elements) shouldn't logically be this impressive within a game that's fundamentally a city-builder. You might not observe any individual strands of hair, but you will see writings on surfaces, flames emitting from lights, fading on bricks, iris elements, and conifer needles. Nighttime, with its flickering fires and celestial bodies twinkling afar, is especially atmospheric, and feels much less frightening versus the earlier title, given that the populace appears unlike sleep paralysis demons these days.
Discovery and Modification
Since Anno 117’s super-secret first-person mode lacks official documentation, I opted to try different commands, and quickly discovered the options to jump, sprint, and zoom in or out — the zoom function permitting me to alternate between immersive and external perspectives and back. I then experimented with various digit inputs and discovered that I could change my character’s appearance. Yellow toga? Ruby clothing? Azure and violet outfit? Or — perhaps even better — full armor? You can wield a blade and protection, or, personally chosen, equip a shooter's costume; if you activate the engage command, you shoot flaming projectiles upward. Should you be curious, eliminating citizens cannot be done (not that I attempted, naturally).
Comedy and Population Encounters
But I wouldn’t wish to harm my citizens anyway, because they’re way too funny. Shortly after I activated first-person mode, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that “Owning a fox is prohibited and if you offer additional fowl, your gran will have your head.” Appropriate response, paternal figure. A friendly native Celtic person then began complimenting my outstanding integration methods by describing it as “Ideal combination,” while some cranky old lady decided to threaten me: “Repeat that statement, and your disappearance will be permanent.”
The Thrill of Transportation
At the moment I believed I’d discovered all there is to discover within the game's immersive perspective, I experienced the pleasure of driving through classical settlements. Completely unexpectedly, I interacted with a cart and quickly occupied the transport. Oxen, donkeys, even people-powered transports; you can drive them all at your leisure. The donkey cart, in particular, moves quite quickly, although you shouldn't expect open-world vehicular chaos — you can’t drive into people or other wagons (again, not saying I’ve tried).
Battle Constraints
The only thing that disappointed me in Anno 117’s first-person mode was discovering my inability to participate in any fighting. Sporting my soldier fit, I approached opposing forces in the midst of battle and endeavored to damage them, yet was completely overlooked. The front-row seat was still rather spectacular, and watching the enemy run, their arms flailing about, felt highly gratifying, yet it would have been exciting to successfully impact objects via my incendiary bolts.
