Anno 117's Pax Romana's Best-Kept Secret Reveals Itself as a Stunning First-Person Mode.
Hold on — were you aware gamers have the option to enjoy the game Anno 117 in first-person? If you're thinking that, you’re just as shocked as I was when I discovered this secret option. Allow me to step away from managing my empire, delegate it to a reliable subordinate, take a wagon, and enjoy a ride around the classical city.
How to Access the First-Person Feature
As a city-building game, Anno 117: Pax Romana usually operates using a top-down camera. But, should you press a covert button sequence — for example “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on keyboard or “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on console — you gain the ability to walk your domain as a common citizen. Given a comparable hidden feature was part of Anno 1800, I was eager to experience it in Ubisoft's newest game, though I was uncertain it would operate until I found myself chin-deep in a Celtic floorboard (likely not meant to happen — this option can be somewhat unstable occasionally).
Roaming the Roman Cityscape
Once I crawled out, I strolled the busy roads through my metropolis and explored markets, breweries, flower fields, and seafood collectors — it was glorious to witness my diligent efforts using an entirely new viewpoint. I noticed numerous fine points I might have missed from the top-down view: Entryway ornaments, a donkey carrying a flower bucket, chickens running loose, folks chilling on their balconies… Even just observing 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
Yet, the experience extends to the first-person feature in Anno 117 than strolling along the road. I felt particularly pleased when I found out that besides being able to observe farming fields, but also access them. And despite my expectation interiors would be restricted, I could walk onto clay pits, tour an esteemed educational structure during active classes, and intrude into private gardens. Avoid attempting to open doors (not even the creators have the budget for that), however, you can definitely wander through a grain field, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and take a peek inside any small shack provided the entrance is missing.
Appearance and Mood
While I was completely ready to see my metropolis represented in PlayStation 1 graphics, apart from certain rough movements and sometimes citizens positioned in a bench rather than on a bench, the first-person view appears far superior to anticipations. 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, yet you will notice writings on surfaces, sparks flying from torches, brick decoloration, eye details, and conifer needles. Evening, with glowing light sources and celestial bodies twinkling afar, is especially atmospheric, and also a lot less scary compared to Anno 1800, given that the populace appears unlike nightmarish entities now.
Discovery and Modification
Because the game's hidden immersive perspective doesn’t come with an instruction manual, I decided to experiment a bit, and quickly discovered the abilities to leap, run, and zoom in or out — with the latter allowing me to change from first-person to third-person mode and return. I subsequently tried pressing certain numeric keys and learned I could modify my character’s appearance. Amber garment? Red toga? Sapphire and amethyst dress? 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. In case you’re wondering, eliminating citizens cannot be done (not that I attempted, naturally).
Amusement and Inhabitant Dialogues
Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, because they’re way too funny. Moments after I entered the immersive perspective, I heard a parent advising their offspring that “You cannot keep a fox as a pet and should you provide another poultry, your gran will have your head.” Rightly so, Roman dad. A friendly native Celtic person then started applauding my brilliant Romano-Celtic policies by calling it the “Best of both worlds,” while some cranky old lady chose to intimidate me: “Say that one more time, and they’ll never find your body.”
The Joy of Joyriding
Just when I thought I uncovered all possible content in the title's first-person feature, I experienced the pleasure of driving across historical settings. Totally unintentionally, I clicked on a wagon and immediately found myself in the driver's position. Cattle, asses, even manually drawn vehicles; you may operate any of them freely. The donkey-powered transport, notably, is pretty fast, but don't anticipate Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (once more, not admitting any attempts).
Fighting Restrictions
The sole aspect that let me down within the immersive perspective was discovering my inability to participate in combat situations. Wearing my military outfit, I ran up to the enemy amidst fighting and tried to harm them, yet was completely overlooked. The close-up view was still rather spectacular, and observing foes flee, their limbs waving wildly, proved very satisfying, though it might have been amazing to successfully impact objects with my burning arrows.
