Anno 117's Pax Romana's Hidden Gem Reveals Itself as a Impressive First-Person Mode.
Hold on — were you aware you can play the game Anno 117 in first-person? If you're thinking that, your surprise matches compared to my initial response upon finding out this concealed mode. I must step away from overseeing my civilization, leave it in a capable deputy, commandere a carriage, and go for a joyride across the Roman world.
How to Access the First-Person Mode
In its role as a city-builder, Anno 117 Pax Romana is normally experienced from a bird's-eye view. Yet, when you input a hidden code — for example “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on a keyboard alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on a controller — you gain the ability to walk the realm as a regular inhabitant. Given a comparable hidden feature appeared in the earlier game Anno 1800, I looked forward to try it out in Ubisoft's newest game, yet I had doubts it would function until I found myself stuck in a Celtic building (likely not meant to happen — this mode tends to be prone to glitches now and then).
Exploring the Streets of Rome
Upon freeing myself, I wandered the bustling streets through my metropolis and visited markets, breweries, floral patches, and seafood collectors — it felt magnificent to see my diligent efforts using an entirely new viewpoint. I detected numerous fine points I wouldn’t have spotted when viewing from overhead: Doorway embellishments, an ass transporting a floral pail, chickens running loose, citizens lounging on their terraces… Merely examining the shape of a window sill and the coloration on a post is quite interesting for those not residing in classical times.
Beyond Simple Strolling
However, there's additional content to the game's immersive perspective aside from meandering through streets. I was especially delighted the moment I learned that not only could I view agricultural plots, but also enter them. And despite my expectation the building models would be off-limits, I was able to enter mud extraction sites, tour an esteemed educational structure during active classes, and even trespass into people’s gardens. Avoid attempting to open doors (not even the studio have the budget for that), however, you can definitely wander through a grain field, watch folks shoveling and carrying sacks, and glance into any tiny hut provided the entrance is missing.
Appearance and Mood
While I was completely ready to witness my city rendered using primitive rendering, apart from certain rough movements and sometimes citizens positioned in a bench as opposed to atop a bench, the immersive perspective seems much better than expected. The highly detailed textures (especially stone surfaces) are unexpectedly excellent in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You may not see any individual strands of hair, but you will see writings on surfaces, sparks flying from torches, brick decoloration, eye details, and conifer needles. Nighttime, with its flickering fires and stars shining in the distance, is especially atmospheric, and proves significantly less intimidating relative to the previous game, given that the populace appears unlike sleep paralysis demons these days.
Experimentation and Customization
Given the covert first-person feature doesn’t come with an instruction manual, I opted to try different commands, and quickly discovered the options to jump, sprint, and zoom in or out — the zoom function permitting me to switch between first and third-person views and return. I then experimented with certain numeric keys and discovered that I could change my representative's visual design. Amber garment? Crimson attire? Sapphire and amethyst dress? Or — perhaps even better — full armor? You can wield a blade and protection, or, my favorite, don a marksman outfit; when you press the action key, you’ll fire burning arrows into the sky. Should you be curious, eliminating citizens cannot be done (though I didn't test this, obviously).
Humor and Citizen Interactions
Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, because they’re way too funny. Shortly after I activated first-person mode, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that “Owning a fox is prohibited and should you provide another poultry, your grandmother will be furious.” Rightly so, Roman dad. A pleasant regional Celt then proceeded to praise my outstanding integration methods by calling it the “Best of both worlds,” meanwhile a grumpy senior female opted to menace me: “Say that one more time, and they’ll never find your body.”
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 through classical settlements. Completely unexpectedly, I interacted with a cart and was promptly seated on the box. Bovines, equines, even human-pulled carts; you may operate any of them freely. The ass-drawn vehicle, specifically, travels rather rapidly, although you shouldn't expect open-world vehicular chaos — colliding with pedestrians or other carts is impossible (once more, not admitting any attempts).
Combat Limitations
The single feature that frustrated me regarding the first-person view was finding out I couldn’t partake in combat situations. Wearing my military outfit, I charged toward adversaries amidst fighting and endeavored to damage them, only to be ignored completely. The front-row seat was nonetheless magnificent, and seeing opponents retreat, their appendages thrashing around, seemed enormously rewarding, though it might have been amazing to successfully impact objects with my burning arrows.
