Anno 117's Pax Romana's Best-Kept Secret Is a Impressive First-Person Mode.
Surprisingly — did you realize it's possible to experience Anno 117: Pax Romana from a first-person viewpoint? Should that be your response, you’re just as shocked compared to my initial response when I discovered this hidden feature. Excuse me while briefly leave my empire’s management, leave it in a capable deputy, commandere a carriage, and take a spin across the Roman world.
Unlocking the First-Person Mode
In its role as a city-builder, Anno 117 Pax Romana usually operates from a bird's-eye view. But, should you input a hidden code — for example “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on keyboard or else “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 the earlier game Anno 1800, I looked forward to try it out in the latest installment, but I wasn’t sure it would work prior to being submerged in a structural glitch (which probably wasn’t intended — this option is a little buggy at times).
Roaming the Ancient Streets
Upon freeing myself, I walked the bustling streets across my settlement and toured stalls, alehouses, blossom gardens, and shellfish gatherers — it was glorious to witness the fruits of my labor using an entirely new viewpoint. I detected a variety of intricacies I might have missed when viewing from overhead: Front door decorations, an ass transporting a floral pail, poultry scattering about, folks chilling on their balconies… Simply noticing the form of a ledge and the coloration on a post becomes engaging to modern individuals unfamiliar with ancient life.
Beyond Simple Strolling
Yet, the experience extends to Anno 117’s first-person mode beyond simply walking the paths. I felt particularly pleased when I found out that not only could I view agricultural plots, but also step into them. And although I’d assumed structures would be inaccessible, I managed to access clay pits, tour an esteemed educational structure during active classes, and intrude into private gardens. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the studio have the budget for that), yet it's completely feasible stroll around a barley farm, watch folks shoveling and carrying sacks, and look within any modest shelter when there's no doorway obstructing.
Appearance and Mood
Although I was fully prepared to witness my city rendered using primitive rendering, excluding a few unpolished motions and sometimes citizens positioned in a bench rather than on a bench, first-person mode looks considerably improved over predictions. The intricately designed surfaces (notably masonry elements) are unexpectedly excellent within a game that's fundamentally a city-builder. You might not observe specific hair details, yet you will notice engravings on walls, fiery particles from lamps, discoloration of masonry, iris elements, and pine tree leaves. Evening, with glowing light sources and stars shining in the distance, is especially atmospheric, and feels much less frightening versus the earlier title, especially since the inhabitants no longer resemble nightmarish entities anymore.
Experimentation and Customization
Since Anno 117’s super-secret first-person mode lacks official documentation, I chose to test various actions, and immediately located the options to jump, sprint, and adjusting the view — the zoom function permitting me to alternate between immersive and external perspectives and return. I then decided to hit various digit inputs and discovered that I could change my representative's visual design. Yellow toga? Red toga? Blue and purple toga? Or — perhaps even better — full armor? You might hold a weapon and defense, or, personally chosen, equip a shooter's costume; if you hit the interaction button, you’ll fire burning arrows into the sky. In case you’re wondering, eliminating citizens cannot be done (not that I’ve tried, of course).
Amusement and Inhabitant Dialogues
Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, 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 offer additional fowl, your elder will punish you.” Understandable stance, father character. A pleasant regional Celt then proceeded to praise my excellent cross-cultural strategies by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” meanwhile a grumpy senior female decided to threaten me: “Utter those words again, and your fate will be sealed.”
The Joy of Joyriding
At the moment I believed I had found everything available in Anno 117: Pax Romana’s first-person mode, I found the joys of joyriding across historical settings. Totally unintentionally, I selected a carriage and was promptly seated on the box. Oxen, donkeys, even manually drawn vehicles; you can control each one as desired. The ass-drawn vehicle, specifically, travels rather rapidly, though you shouldn’t imagine Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (reiterating, without confirming testing).
Fighting Restrictions
The only thing that disappointed me within the immersive perspective was finding out I couldn’t partake in any fighting. Equipped in warrior attire, I approached opposing forces amidst fighting and attempted to attack them, only to be ignored completely. The close-up view was still rather spectacular, and seeing opponents retreat, their appendages thrashing around, seemed enormously rewarding, though it might have been amazing to successfully impact objects via my incendiary bolts.
