Anno 117: Pax Romana's Best-Kept Secret Reveals Itself as a Impressive First-Person View.
Wait — did you know you can play Anno 117 Pax Romana in first-person? Should that be your response, you feel equally astonished compared to my initial response when I discovered this secret option. I must step away from managing my empire, delegate it to a capable deputy, take a wagon, and go for a joyride across the Roman world.
Unlocking the First-Person Mode
Being a city-building title, Anno 117: Pax Romana is typically played from an overhead perspective. Yet, when 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 the realm as a regular inhabitant. Given a comparable hidden feature was included in Anno 1800, I looked forward to experience it in the new release, yet I had doubts it would operate prior to being chin-deep in a Celtic floorboard (likely not meant to happen — this feature can be prone to glitches now and then).
Roaming the Streets of Rome
After extracting myself, I strolled the bustling streets of my city and toured markets, breweries, flower fields, and seafood collectors — it felt magnificent to witness my diligent efforts using an entirely new viewpoint. I detected numerous fine points I wouldn’t have spotted when viewing from overhead: Doorway embellishments, a donkey carrying a flower bucket, poultry scattering about, folks chilling on their balconies… Even just observing the shape of a window sill and the paint layers on a column proves fascinating for those not residing in classical times.
Further Than Mere Wandering
However, there's additional content to the first-person feature in Anno 117 than strolling along the road. I was especially delighted the moment I learned that I could not just look upon agricultural plots, but also step into them. And despite my expectation interiors would be restricted, I could walk onto mud extraction sites, investigate a respected schoolhouse during active classes, and intrude into private gardens. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the creators allocated resources for that), yet it's completely feasible stroll around a barley farm, observe people digging and transporting bags, and look within any modest shelter when there's no doorway obstructing.
Graphics and Ambiance
While I was completely ready to witness my city rendered in PlayStation 1 graphics, excluding a few unpolished motions and the occasional civilian resting within a bench as opposed to atop a bench, the immersive perspective seems 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 any individual strands of hair, yet you will notice writings on surfaces, fiery particles from lamps, brick decoloration, pupils, and pine tree leaves. Nighttime, with its flickering fires and distant stellar illumination, is especially atmospheric, and proves significantly less intimidating compared to Anno 1800, especially since the inhabitants no longer resemble sleep paralysis demons these days.
Discovery and Modification
Because the game's hidden immersive perspective lacks official documentation, I opted to try different commands, and promptly found the abilities to leap, run, and zoom in or out — the zoom function permitting me to alternate between immersive and external perspectives and return. I then experimented with various digit inputs and learned I could modify my representative's visual design. Amber garment? Red toga? Azure and violet outfit? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You may carry a sword and shield, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; if you activate the engage command, you launch incendiary bolts heavenward. In case you’re wondering, harming inhabitants is impossible (not that I attempted, naturally).
Amusement and Inhabitant Dialogues
However, I had no desire to injure my people, because they’re way too funny. Moments after I entered first-person mode, I overheard a father telling his child that “Owning a fox is prohibited and should you provide another poultry, your grandmother will be furious.” Rightly so, Roman dad. One lovely local Celt then started applauding my excellent cross-cultural strategies by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” meanwhile a grumpy senior female opted to menace me: “Say that one more time, and they’ll never find your body.”
The Fun of Vehicle Use
At the moment I believed I uncovered all possible content within the game's immersive perspective, I experienced the pleasure of driving in Ancient Rome. Entirely by accident, I interacted with a cart and quickly occupied the transport. Cattle, asses, even human-pulled carts; you may operate any of them freely. The donkey-powered transport, notably, moves quite quickly, 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 only thing that disappointed me in Anno 117’s first-person mode was learning about my exclusion from in battle encounters. Wearing my military outfit, I approached opposing forces during active combat and endeavored to damage them, yet was completely overlooked. The front-row seat was nonetheless magnificent, and seeing opponents retreat, their arms flailing about, proved very satisfying, but it would’ve been cool to successfully impact objects with my burning arrows.
