Anno 117: Pax Romana's Best-Kept Secret Is a Stunning First-Person Mode.
Surprisingly — did you realize it's possible to experience Anno 117 Pax Romana from a first-person viewpoint? If you're thinking that, you’re just as shocked as my own reaction upon finding out this concealed mode. I must step away from managing my empire, delegate it to a reliable subordinate, borrow a cart, and take a spin across the Roman world.
How to Access the First-Person View
Being a city-building title, 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” on a keyboard or “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” with a gamepad — it becomes possible to roam the empire as an ordinary Roman. Given a comparable hidden feature appeared in Anno 1800, I looked forward to test it in the latest installment, yet I had doubts it would function until I found myself stuck in a Celtic building (possibly an unexpected bug — this option tends to be prone to glitches now and then).
Roaming the Streets of Rome
After extracting myself, I wandered the busy roads across my settlement and explored stalls, alehouses, floral patches, and shellfish gatherers — it felt magnificent to observe the fruits of my labor using an entirely new viewpoint. I observed numerous fine points I wouldn’t have spotted when viewing from overhead: Front door decorations, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, chickens running loose, folks chilling on their balconies… Even just observing the form of a ledge and the coloration on a post is quite interesting for those not residing in classical times.
Beyond Simple Strolling
But there’s more to the game's immersive perspective beyond simply walking the paths. I was especially delighted when I found out that not only could I look upon farming fields, but also enter them. And even though I thought interiors would be restricted, I was able to enter clay pits, investigate a respected schoolhouse while lessons were in session, and intrude into private gardens. Avoid attempting to open doors (not even the creators have the budget for that), but it’s entirely possible meander across a cereal plantation, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and glance into any tiny hut when there's no doorway obstructing.
Appearance and Mood
While I was completely ready to observe my settlement depicted in PlayStation 1 graphics, excluding a few unpolished motions and sometimes citizens positioned inside seating as opposed to atop a bench, the immersive perspective seems considerably improved over predictions. The meticulously crafted materials (particularly rock faces) shouldn't logically be this impressive for a title that remains primarily overhead. You won't necessarily notice specific hair details, however, you can observe engravings on walls, sparks flying from torches, discoloration of masonry, iris elements, and pine tree leaves. Evening, with glowing light sources and celestial bodies twinkling afar, creates a particularly moody setting, and feels much less frightening compared to Anno 1800, especially since the inhabitants no longer resemble terrifying apparitions now.
Experimentation and Customization
Because the game's hidden immersive perspective doesn’t come with an instruction manual, I chose to test various actions, and promptly found the options to jump, sprint, and adjusting the view — the last option enabling me to switch between first and third-person views and return. I subsequently tried pressing certain numeric keys and learned I could modify my avatar's look. Golden robe? Ruby clothing? Azure and violet outfit? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You may carry a sword and shield, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; if you activate the engage command, you shoot flaming projectiles upward. In case you’re wondering, eliminating citizens cannot be done (not that I’ve tried, of course).
Humor and Citizen Interactions
Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, 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 offer additional fowl, your grandmother will be furious.” Understandable stance, father character. A pleasant regional Celt then proceeded to praise my excellent cross-cultural strategies by describing it as “Ideal combination,” whereas an irritable elderly woman decided to threaten me: “Repeat that statement, and your disappearance will be permanent.”
The Joy of Joyriding
Just when I thought I had found everything available in Anno 117: Pax Romana’s first-person mode, I encountered the delight of riding through classical settlements. Entirely by accident, I selected a carriage and was promptly seated on the box. Cattle, asses, even manually drawn vehicles; you may operate any of them freely. The donkey cart, in particular, moves quite quickly, though you shouldn’t imagine open-world vehicular chaos — you can’t drive into people or other wagons (reiterating, without confirming testing).
Combat Limitations
The single feature that frustrated me in Anno 117’s first-person mode was finding out I couldn’t partake in any fighting. Equipped in warrior attire, I approached opposing forces during active combat and attempted to attack them, but was entirely disregarded. The front-row seat was still rather spectacular, and observing foes flee, their arms flailing about, proved very satisfying, yet it would have been exciting to successfully impact objects with my burning arrows.
