Anno 117 Pax Romana's Best-Kept Secret Turns Out to Be a Impressive First-Person Mode.
Wait — did you know it's possible to experience Anno 117 Pax Romana from a first-person viewpoint? If that’s your reaction, you’re just as shocked as my own reaction when I discovered this concealed mode. Allow me to step away from managing my empire, 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 is typically played from an overhead perspective. But, should you press a covert button sequence — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on a keyboard alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on a controller — it becomes possible to roam the empire as an ordinary Roman. Because an analogous secret was included in Anno 1800, I felt excited to experience it in Ubisoft's newest game, yet I had doubts it would function before I discovered myself stuck in a Celtic building (which probably wasn’t intended — this option is a little buggy at times).
Exploring the Ancient Streets
Upon freeing myself, I walked the busy roads of my city and visited markets, breweries, flower fields, and cockle pickers — it was glorious to observe my diligent efforts from a brand-new perspective. I observed a variety of intricacies I wouldn’t have spotted when viewing from overhead: Entryway ornaments, a donkey carrying a flower bucket, chickens running loose, folks chilling on their balconies… Merely examining the shape of a window sill and the paint layers on a column becomes engaging to modern individuals unfamiliar with ancient life.
Further Than Mere Wandering
However, there's additional content to the game's immersive perspective aside from meandering through streets. I became extraordinarily excited upon discovering that I could not just view agricultural plots, but also step into them. And despite my expectation structures would be inaccessible, I managed to access mud extraction sites, tour an esteemed educational structure during active classes, and invade personal courtyards. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the creators have the budget for that), however, you can definitely stroll around a barley farm, observe people digging and transporting bags, and take a peek inside any small shack as long as the door is absent.
Appearance and Mood
While I was completely ready to witness my city rendered using primitive rendering, excluding a few unpolished motions and the occasional civilian resting inside seating rather than on a bench, the immersive perspective seems considerably improved over predictions. The meticulously crafted materials (especially stone surfaces) really have no business being this good for a title that remains primarily overhead. You won't necessarily notice specific hair details, yet you will notice wall inscriptions, flames emitting from lights, fading on bricks, iris elements, and pine tree leaves. Nighttime, with its flickering fires and stars shining in the distance, is especially atmospheric, and feels much less frightening relative to the previous game, given that the populace appears unlike sleep paralysis demons now.
Testing and Personalization
Given the covert first-person feature lacks official documentation, I chose to test various actions, and quickly discovered the abilities to leap, run, and adjusting the view — with the latter allowing me to alternate between immersive and external perspectives and back. I subsequently tried pressing some number buttons and found I could alter my character’s appearance. Yellow toga? Ruby clothing? Azure and violet outfit? Or — perhaps even better — full armor? 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, eliminating citizens cannot be done (not that I attempted, naturally).
Comedy and Population Encounters
Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, since they're incredibly amusing. Only seconds after I landed the immersive perspective, I heard a parent advising their offspring that “Owning a fox is prohibited and should you provide another poultry, your elder will punish you.” Rightly so, Roman dad. A friendly native Celtic person then began complimenting my outstanding integration methods by calling it the “Best of both worlds,” meanwhile a grumpy senior female decided to threaten me: “Utter those words again, and your fate will be sealed.”
The Joy of Joyriding
Just when I thought I’d discovered all there is to discover in Anno 117: Pax Romana’s first-person mode, I experienced the pleasure of driving in Ancient Rome. Completely unexpectedly, I selected a carriage and quickly occupied the transport. Bovines, equines, even manually drawn vehicles; you may operate any of them freely. The ass-drawn vehicle, specifically, moves quite quickly, but don't anticipate Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (again, not saying I’ve tried).
Combat Limitations
The single feature that frustrated me in Anno 117’s first-person mode was discovering my inability to participate in battle encounters. Wearing my military outfit, I ran up to the enemy amidst fighting and endeavored to damage them, yet was completely overlooked. The proximate observation was still rather spectacular, and observing foes flee, their appendages thrashing around, proved very satisfying, though it might have been amazing to actually hit something via my incendiary bolts.
