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 in first-person? If that’s your reaction, your surprise matches as I was when I discovered this hidden feature. Allow me to temporarily abandon managing my empire, entrust it to a reliable subordinate, commandere a carriage, and go for a joyride across the Roman world.
Unlocking the First-Person Feature
As a city-building game, Anno 117 Pax Romana is normally experienced using a top-down camera. Yet, when you input a hidden code — such as “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 the empire as an ordinary Roman. Given a comparable hidden feature appeared in the earlier game Anno 1800, I looked forward to experience it in the new release, but I wasn’t sure it would operate until I found myself stuck in a Celtic building (possibly an unexpected bug — this option tends to be somewhat unstable occasionally).
Discovering the Streets of Rome
Upon freeing myself, I strolled the busy roads across my settlement and visited stalls, alehouses, flower fields, and shellfish gatherers — it was glorious to observe my diligent efforts through a fresh lens. I observed all kinds of details I might have missed from the top-down view: Doorway embellishments, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, chickens running loose, citizens lounging on their terraces… Even just observing the design of a windowsill and the coating on a pillar becomes engaging for those not residing in classical times.
Beyond Simple Strolling
But there’s more to the first-person feature in Anno 117 beyond simply walking the paths. I felt particularly pleased the moment I learned that I could not just view farming fields, but also access them. And even though I thought the building models would be off-limits, I managed to access mud extraction sites, investigate a respected schoolhouse during active classes, and intrude into private gardens. Don't bother with door access (not even the developers planned for that functionality), however, you can definitely wander through a grain field, observe people digging and transporting bags, and glance into any tiny hut when there's no doorway obstructing.
Graphics and Ambiance
Even though I expected to see my metropolis represented in PlayStation 1 graphics, apart from certain rough movements and periodic inhabitants sitting within a bench instead of 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 in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You won't necessarily notice specific hair details, but you will see engravings on walls, fiery particles from lamps, discoloration of masonry, iris elements, and pine tree leaves. The night, featuring dancing flames and distant stellar illumination, generates a uniquely immersive environment, and feels much less frightening relative to the previous game, now that the citizens don’t look like sleep paralysis demons now.
Discovery and Modification
Because the game's hidden immersive perspective doesn’t come with an instruction manual, I chose to test various actions, and promptly found the abilities to leap, run, and changing perspective — with the latter allowing me to switch between first and third-person views and revert. I then experimented with certain numeric keys and found I could alter 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, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; when you press the action key, you shoot flaming projectiles upward. If you're interested, eliminating citizens cannot be done (though I didn't test this, obviously).
Amusement and Inhabitant Dialogues
But I wouldn’t wish to harm my citizens anyway, because they’re way too funny. Moments after I entered first-person mode, I overheard a father telling his child that “You cannot keep a fox as a pet and should you provide another poultry, your grandmother will be furious.” Rightly so, Roman dad. A pleasant regional Celt then began complimenting my outstanding integration methods by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” while some cranky old lady chose to intimidate me: “Say that one more time, and they’ll never find your body.”
The Fun of Vehicle Use
At the moment I believed I had found everything available 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. Bovines, equines, even people-powered transports; you can control each one as desired. The donkey cart, in particular, is pretty fast, although you shouldn't expect any GTA-like shenanigans — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (once more, not admitting any attempts).
Battle Constraints
The single feature that frustrated me within the immersive perspective was discovering my inability to participate in combat situations. Wearing my military outfit, I ran up to the enemy in the midst of battle and tried to harm them, yet was completely overlooked. The proximate observation was nonetheless magnificent, and watching the enemy run, their limbs waving wildly, felt highly gratifying, yet it would have been exciting to effectively strike targets using my fiery projectiles.
