Anno 117: Pax Romana's Hidden Gem Reveals Itself as a Impressive First-Person View.
Surprisingly — did you realize it's possible to experience Anno 117: Pax Romana using a first-person camera? If you're thinking that, you feel equally astonished as I was when I discovered this concealed mode. I must briefly leave managing my empire, leave it in a trusted assistant, commandere a carriage, and enjoy a ride across the Roman world.
Unlocking the First-Person Mode
Being a city-building title, the game Anno 117 usually operates from a bird's-eye view. But, should you input a hidden code — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on keyboard alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on a controller — it becomes possible to roam the empire as an ordinary Roman. Given a comparable hidden feature appeared in Anno 1800, I looked forward to experience it in Ubisoft's newest game, though I was uncertain it would work before I discovered myself stuck in a Celtic building (which probably wasn’t intended — this option is somewhat unstable occasionally).
Roaming the Ancient Streets
Once I crawled out, I wandered the busy roads across my settlement and visited shops, taverns, blossom gardens, and cockle pickers — it felt magnificent to see the fruits of my labor using an entirely new viewpoint. I observed numerous fine points that would escape notice when viewing from overhead: Doorway embellishments, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, poultry scattering about, citizens lounging on their terraces… Merely examining the design of a windowsill and the coating on a pillar proves fascinating to someone who doesn’t live in Ancient Rome.
Further Than Mere Wandering
However, there's additional content to the game's immersive perspective beyond simply walking the paths. I became extraordinarily excited the moment I learned that besides being able to observe farming fields, but also enter them. And despite my expectation the building models would be off-limits, I managed to access mud extraction sites, investigate a respected schoolhouse during active classes, and invade personal courtyards. Don't bother with door access (not even the developers have the budget for that), yet it's completely feasible wander through a grain field, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and take a peek inside any small shack when there's no doorway obstructing.
Visual Quality and Atmosphere
Although I was fully prepared to see my metropolis represented in PlayStation 1 graphics, besides some crude animations and the occasional civilian resting within a bench instead of on a bench, the immersive perspective seems considerably improved over predictions. The meticulously crafted materials (especially stone surfaces) are unexpectedly excellent in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You might not observe any individual strands of hair, yet you will notice wall inscriptions, sparks flying from torches, brick decoloration, pupils, and pine tree leaves. The night, featuring dancing flames and stars shining in the distance, generates a uniquely immersive environment, and also a lot less scary compared to Anno 1800, given that the populace appears unlike nightmarish entities anymore.
Experimentation and Customization
Because the game's hidden immersive perspective has no guided tutorial, I opted to try different commands, and immediately located the functions for jumping, dashing, and changing perspective — with the latter allowing me to change from first-person to third-person mode and back. I then decided to hit certain numeric keys and found I could alter my representative's visual design. Golden robe? Crimson attire? Azure and violet outfit? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You may carry a sword and shield, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; when you press the action key, you’ll fire burning arrows into the sky. In case you’re wondering, harming inhabitants is impossible (though I didn't test this, obviously).
Amusement and Inhabitant Dialogues
Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, as they're remarkably entertaining. Only seconds after I landed first-person mode, I overheard a father telling his child that “You cannot keep a fox as a pet and if you offer additional fowl, your gran will have your head.” Rightly so, Roman dad. One lovely local Celt then began complimenting my excellent cross-cultural strategies 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 Thrill of Transportation
Just when I thought I had found everything available within the game's immersive perspective, I found the joys of joyriding in Ancient Rome. Completely unexpectedly, I interacted with a cart and immediately found myself in the driver's position. Bovines, equines, even manually drawn vehicles; you may operate any of them freely. The donkey-powered transport, notably, travels rather rapidly, although you shouldn't expect open-world vehicular chaos — you can’t drive into people or other wagons (reiterating, without confirming testing).
Fighting Restrictions
The single feature that frustrated me within the immersive perspective was finding out I couldn’t partake in combat situations. Equipped in warrior attire, I ran up to the enemy during active combat and endeavored to damage them, yet was completely overlooked. The proximate observation was still rather spectacular, and watching the enemy run, their limbs waving wildly, seemed enormously rewarding, but it would’ve been cool to effectively strike targets via my incendiary bolts.
