Anno 117's Pax Romana's Top Secret Reveals Itself as a Breathtaking First-Person View.
Wait — did you know you can play the game Anno 117 using a first-person camera? If that’s your reaction, you’re just as shocked as I was the moment I learned this concealed mode. Excuse me while temporarily abandon overseeing my civilization, leave it in a capable deputy, take a wagon, and go for a joyride across the Roman world.
Activating the First-Person Mode
In its role as a city-builder, Anno 117 Pax Romana usually operates from an overhead perspective. Yet, when you press a covert button sequence — for example “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on keyboard alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” with a gamepad — you can explore the realm as a regular inhabitant. Since a similar easter egg appeared in Anno 1800, I looked forward to try it out in Ubisoft's newest game, though I was uncertain it would work prior to being chin-deep in a Celtic floorboard (which probably wasn’t intended — this option is a little buggy at times).
Roaming the Ancient Streets
After extracting myself, I walked the bustling streets across my settlement and explored markets, breweries, floral patches, and seafood collectors — it felt magnificent to observe my diligent efforts through a fresh lens. I detected numerous fine points that would escape notice from above: Entryway ornaments, a donkey carrying a flower bucket, poultry scattering about, folks chilling on their balconies… Merely examining the design of a windowsill and the paint layers on a column becomes engaging for those not residing in classical times.
Beyond Simple Strolling
Yet, the experience extends to the first-person feature in Anno 117 beyond simply walking the paths. I felt particularly pleased the moment I learned that not only could I observe farming fields, but also access them. And even though I thought the building models would be off-limits, I could walk onto earthen quarries, investigate a respected schoolhouse while lessons were in session, and even trespass into people’s gardens. Don't bother with door access (not even the studio planned for that functionality), but it’s entirely possible wander through a grain field, 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 see my metropolis represented using primitive rendering, excluding a few unpolished motions and periodic inhabitants sitting within a bench instead of on a bench, the immersive perspective seems far superior to anticipations. The intricately designed surfaces (notably masonry elements) shouldn't logically be this impressive for a title that remains primarily overhead. You won't necessarily notice specific hair details, yet you will notice engravings on walls, sparks flying from torches, discoloration of masonry, eye details, and conifer needles. The night, featuring dancing flames and distant stellar illumination, creates a particularly moody setting, and also a lot less scary relative to the previous game, given that the populace appears unlike terrifying apparitions these days.
Testing and Personalization
Since Anno 117’s super-secret first-person mode lacks official documentation, I decided to experiment a bit, and immediately located the functions for jumping, dashing, and changing perspective — with the latter allowing me to change from first-person to third-person mode and return. I subsequently tried pressing various digit inputs 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, personally chosen, equip a shooter's costume; if you hit the interaction button, you launch incendiary bolts heavenward. Should you be curious, harming inhabitants is impossible (not that I’ve tried, of course).
Amusement and Inhabitant Dialogues
Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, as they're remarkably entertaining. Moments after I entered the immersive perspective, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that “Owning a fox is prohibited and if you offer additional fowl, your grandmother will be furious.” Appropriate response, paternal figure. 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: “Utter those words again, and your fate will be sealed.”
The Thrill of Transportation
Just when I thought I’d discovered all there is to discover within the game's immersive perspective, I found the joys of joyriding in Ancient Rome. Totally unintentionally, I selected a carriage and quickly occupied the transport. Oxen, donkeys, even people-powered transports; you can control each one as desired. The donkey-powered transport, notably, travels rather rapidly, although you shouldn't expect open-world vehicular chaos — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (again, not saying I’ve tried).
Battle Constraints
The sole aspect that let me down in Anno 117’s first-person mode was finding out I couldn’t partake in battle encounters. Wearing my military outfit, I charged toward adversaries amidst fighting and tried to harm them, yet was completely overlooked. The proximate observation remained quite impressive, and observing foes flee, their limbs waving wildly, felt highly gratifying, though it might have been amazing to effectively strike targets with my burning arrows.
