Anno 117 Pax Romana's Top Secret Reveals Itself as a Breathtaking First-Person Perspective.
Hold on — were you aware it's possible to experience Anno 117 Pax Romana using a first-person camera? If you're thinking that, you’re just as shocked compared to my initial response upon finding out this concealed mode. Allow me to briefly leave my empire’s management, leave it in a capable deputy, commandere a carriage, and enjoy a ride through Ancient Rome.
Unlocking the First-Person Feature
In its role as a city-builder, Anno 117: Pax Romana is normally experienced from a bird's-eye view. But, should you press a covert button sequence — for example “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on a keyboard or else “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on console — you gain the ability to walk your domain as a common citizen. Since a similar easter egg was part of the previous Anno title, I looked forward to test it in the new release, though I was uncertain it would function before I discovered myself submerged in a structural glitch (which probably wasn’t intended — this feature tends to be a little buggy at times).
Discovering the Ancient Streets
Upon freeing myself, I strolled the lively avenues across my settlement and toured markets, breweries, blossom gardens, and cockle pickers — it felt magnificent to witness my diligent efforts through a fresh lens. I observed numerous fine points 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… Merely examining the form of a ledge and the coating on a pillar proves fascinating to someone who doesn’t live in Ancient Rome.
Beyond Simple Strolling
Yet, the experience extends to Anno 117’s first-person mode beyond simply walking the paths. I felt particularly pleased upon discovering that not only could I observe agricultural plots, but also access them. And even though I thought structures would be inaccessible, I managed to access clay pits, explore a prestigious Grammaticus building during active classes, and intrude into private gardens. Don't bother with door access (not even the developers have the budget for that), yet it's completely feasible meander across a cereal plantation, watch folks shoveling and carrying sacks, and take a peek inside any small shack provided the entrance is missing.
Graphics and Ambiance
While I was completely ready to witness my city rendered using primitive rendering, 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 highly detailed textures (notably masonry elements) are unexpectedly excellent within a game that's fundamentally a city-builder. You may not see specific hair details, however, you can observe engravings on walls, sparks flying from torches, fading on bricks, iris elements, and conifer needles. Nighttime, with its flickering fires and distant stellar illumination, generates a uniquely immersive environment, and proves significantly less intimidating compared to Anno 1800, especially since the inhabitants no longer resemble nightmarish entities these days.
Testing and Personalization
Since Anno 117’s super-secret first-person mode lacks official documentation, I chose to test various actions, and promptly found the functions for jumping, dashing, and adjusting the view — the last option enabling me to switch between first and third-person views and revert. I subsequently tried pressing certain numeric keys and discovered that I could change my representative's visual design. Amber garment? Crimson attire? Azure and violet outfit? Or — potentially preferable — armored suit? You might hold a weapon and defense, or, my favorite, don a marksman outfit; if you activate the engage command, you launch incendiary bolts heavenward. In case you’re wondering, it’s not possible to kill civilians (though I didn't test this, obviously).
Humor and Citizen Interactions
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 he “Can’t have a pet fox 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,” while some cranky old lady chose to intimidate me: “Utter those words again, and your fate will be sealed.”
The Fun of Vehicle Use
Just when I thought I uncovered all possible content 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 immediately found myself in the driver's position. Bovines, equines, even human-pulled carts; you can control each one as desired. The ass-drawn vehicle, specifically, moves quite quickly, although you shouldn't expect open-world vehicular chaos — colliding with pedestrians or other carts is impossible (reiterating, without confirming testing).
Combat Limitations
The single feature that frustrated me regarding the first-person view was learning about my exclusion from in battle encounters. Equipped in warrior attire, I ran up to the enemy in the midst of battle and tried to harm them, but was entirely disregarded. The front-row seat remained quite impressive, and watching the enemy run, their limbs waving wildly, proved very satisfying, yet it would have been exciting to effectively strike targets using my fiery projectiles.
