Anno 117's Pax Romana's Hidden Gem Turns Out to Be a Impressive First-Person Perspective.
Wait — did you know gamers have the option to enjoy Anno 117 Pax Romana using a first-person camera? If that’s your reaction, you’re just as shocked as my own reaction when I discovered this concealed mode. Allow me to temporarily abandon managing my empire, leave it in a capable deputy, take a wagon, and enjoy a ride through Ancient Rome.
Activating the First-Person Mode
Being a city-building title, Anno 117 Pax Romana usually operates using a top-down camera. But, should you input a hidden code — for example “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” using PC controls alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on a controller — it becomes possible to roam your domain as a common citizen. Because an analogous secret was included in the previous Anno title, I was eager to test 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 feature is prone to glitches now and then).
Roaming the Streets of Rome
Upon freeing myself, I wandered the bustling streets of my city and toured shops, taverns, flower fields, and shellfish gatherers — the experience was splendid to see the fruits of my labor using an entirely new viewpoint. I detected all kinds of details I wouldn’t have spotted from above: Front door decorations, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, fowl roaming freely, folks chilling on their balconies… Simply noticing the shape of a window sill and the coloration on a post is quite interesting to someone who doesn’t live in Ancient Rome.
Beyond Simple Strolling
Yet, the experience extends to the first-person feature in Anno 117 than strolling along the road. I felt particularly pleased upon discovering that besides being able to view farming fields, but also step into them. And even though I thought the building models would be off-limits, I managed to access mud extraction sites, investigate a respected schoolhouse while lessons were in session, and even trespass into people’s gardens. Avoid attempting to open doors (not even the studio planned for that functionality), yet it's completely feasible wander through a grain field, watch folks shoveling and carrying sacks, and look within any modest shelter as long as the door is absent.
Appearance and Mood
Although I was fully prepared to witness my city rendered using primitive rendering, besides some crude animations and sometimes citizens positioned within a bench instead of on a bench, the first-person view appears much better than expected. The meticulously crafted materials (notably masonry elements) really have no business being this good in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You might not observe separate follicular elements, however, you can observe writings on surfaces, flames emitting from lights, fading on bricks, iris elements, and evergreen foliage. Nighttime, with its flickering fires and stars shining in the distance, is especially atmospheric, and also a lot less scary versus the earlier title, given that the populace appears unlike terrifying apparitions now.
Discovery and Modification
Since Anno 117’s super-secret first-person mode lacks official documentation, I opted to try different commands, and promptly found the functions for jumping, dashing, and zoom in or out — the zoom function permitting me to change from first-person to third-person mode and return. I then experimented with various digit inputs and learned I could modify my character’s appearance. Yellow toga? Ruby clothing? Sapphire and amethyst dress? Or — potentially preferable — armored suit? You might hold a weapon and defense, or, my favorite, don a marksman outfit; if you hit the interaction button, you’ll fire burning arrows into the sky. In case you’re wondering, eliminating citizens cannot be done (though I didn't test this, obviously).
Comedy and Population Encounters
However, I had no desire to injure my people, since they're incredibly amusing. Only seconds after I landed the immersive perspective, I overheard a father telling his child that “Owning a fox is prohibited and if you feed it one more chicken, your gran will have your head.” Rightly so, Roman dad. A friendly native Celtic person then proceeded to praise my brilliant Romano-Celtic policies by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” meanwhile a grumpy senior female chose to intimidate me: “Repeat that statement, and your disappearance will be permanent.”
The Joy of Joyriding
At the moment I believed I uncovered all possible content in Anno 117: Pax Romana’s first-person mode, I found the joys of joyriding in Ancient Rome. Entirely by accident, I clicked on a wagon and quickly occupied the transport. Cattle, asses, even manually drawn vehicles; you can control each one as desired. The donkey cart, in particular, travels rather rapidly, although you shouldn't expect any GTA-like shenanigans — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (again, not saying I’ve tried).
Fighting Restrictions
The single feature that frustrated me regarding the first-person view was discovering my inability to participate in any fighting. Sporting my soldier fit, I ran up to the enemy during active combat and endeavored to damage them, but was entirely disregarded. The front-row seat was nonetheless magnificent, and observing foes flee, their limbs waving wildly, proved very satisfying, though it might have been amazing to actually hit something using my fiery projectiles.
