Anno 117 Pax Romana's Hidden Gem Is a Stunning First-Person Perspective.
Wait — did you know gamers have the option to enjoy Anno 117: Pax Romana from a first-person viewpoint? Should that be your response, your surprise matches compared to my initial response upon finding out this concealed mode. Allow me to briefly leave my empire’s management, delegate it to a reliable subordinate, borrow a cart, and go for a joyride across the Roman world.
Unlocking the First-Person Feature
In its role as a city-builder, Anno 117: Pax Romana usually operates from a bird's-eye view. Yet, when you press a covert button sequence — including “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” using PC controls alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on console — it becomes possible to roam the realm as a regular inhabitant. Given a comparable hidden feature appeared in the previous Anno title, I was eager to try it out in the latest installment, but I wasn’t sure it would function prior to being stuck in a Celtic building (possibly an unexpected bug — this option is prone to glitches now and then).
Discovering the Roman Cityscape
After extracting myself, I wandered the busy roads through my metropolis and explored shops, taverns, blossom gardens, and cockle pickers — the experience was splendid to see the fruits of my labor through a fresh lens. I detected a variety of intricacies I might have missed from the top-down view: Doorway embellishments, a donkey carrying a flower bucket, fowl roaming freely, people relaxing on their verandas… Merely examining the shape of a window sill and the paint layers on a column becomes engaging to modern individuals unfamiliar with ancient life.
Beyond Simple Strolling
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 besides being able to observe crop lands, but also access them. And even though I thought interiors would be restricted, I managed to access earthen quarries, explore a prestigious Grammaticus building while lessons were in session, and invade personal courtyards. Avoid attempting to open doors (not even the studio allocated resources for that), yet it's completely feasible meander across a cereal plantation, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and look within any modest shelter when there's no doorway obstructing.
Appearance and Mood
While I was completely ready to observe my settlement depicted with outdated visual quality, besides some crude animations and sometimes citizens positioned in a bench as opposed to atop a bench, first-person mode looks far superior to anticipations. The meticulously crafted materials (notably masonry elements) shouldn't logically be this impressive for a title that remains primarily overhead. You won't necessarily notice any individual strands of hair, yet you will notice wall inscriptions, flames emitting from lights, brick decoloration, eye details, and conifer needles. The night, featuring dancing flames and distant stellar illumination, generates a uniquely immersive environment, and proves significantly less intimidating compared to Anno 1800, now that the citizens don’t look like nightmarish entities these days.
Discovery and Modification
Given the covert first-person feature lacks official documentation, I decided to experiment a bit, and immediately located the abilities to leap, run, and changing perspective — with the latter allowing me to change from first-person to third-person mode and back. I subsequently tried pressing certain numeric keys and learned I could modify my representative's visual design. Golden robe? Ruby clothing? Azure and violet outfit? Or — potentially preferable — armored suit? You may carry a sword and shield, or, my favorite, don a marksman outfit; if you hit the interaction button, you launch incendiary bolts heavenward. If you're interested, it’s not possible to kill civilians (not that I attempted, naturally).
Amusement and Inhabitant Dialogues
But I wouldn’t wish to harm my citizens anyway, since they're incredibly amusing. Moments after I entered first-person mode, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that he “Can’t have a pet fox and if you feed it one more chicken, your elder will punish you.” Rightly so, Roman dad. One lovely local Celt then proceeded to praise my brilliant Romano-Celtic policies 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 Fun of Vehicle Use
Just when I thought I had found everything available in the title's first-person feature, I encountered the delight of riding across historical settings. Totally unintentionally, I clicked on a wagon and was promptly seated on the box. Bovines, equines, even human-pulled carts; you can control each one as desired. The ass-drawn vehicle, specifically, moves quite quickly, although you shouldn't expect any GTA-like shenanigans — you can’t drive into people or other wagons (again, not saying I’ve tried).
Battle Constraints
The only thing that disappointed me regarding the first-person view was discovering my inability to participate in combat situations. Wearing my military outfit, I charged toward adversaries in the midst of battle and endeavored to damage them, only to be ignored completely. The close-up view was still rather spectacular, and watching the enemy run, their limbs waving wildly, felt highly gratifying, though it might have been amazing to effectively strike targets using my fiery projectiles.
