Anno 117's Pax Romana's Hidden Gem Is a Impressive First-Person Mode.
Surprisingly — did you realize you can play the game Anno 117 using a first-person camera? If that’s your reaction, you’re just as shocked compared to my initial response when I discovered this concealed mode. Excuse me while briefly leave overseeing my civilization, entrust it to a capable deputy, borrow a cart, and enjoy a ride across the Roman world.
Unlocking the First-Person Mode
In its role as a city-builder, Anno 117: Pax Romana is typically played from a bird's-eye view. But, should you input a hidden code — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on keyboard or “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 appeared in Anno 1800, I looked forward to experience it in the new release, yet I had doubts it would function until I found myself stuck in a Celtic building (which probably wasn’t intended — this option is prone to glitches now and then).
Discovering the Streets of Rome
Once I crawled out, I wandered the bustling streets through my metropolis and explored stalls, alehouses, flower fields, and cockle pickers — it was glorious to witness the fruits of my labor through a fresh lens. I noticed numerous fine points that would escape notice from above: Entryway ornaments, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, fowl roaming freely, citizens lounging on their terraces… Merely examining the form of a ledge and the coloration on a post proves fascinating to someone who doesn’t live in Ancient Rome.
More Than Just Walking
However, there's additional content to the game's immersive perspective beyond simply walking the paths. I was especially delighted the moment I learned that not only could I look upon farming fields, but also enter them. And despite my expectation the building models would be off-limits, I managed to access earthen quarries, investigate a respected schoolhouse as teaching was underway, and even trespass into people’s gardens. Don't bother with door access (not even the developers have the budget for that), however, you can definitely stroll around a barley farm, observe people digging and transporting bags, and look within any modest shelter when there's no doorway obstructing.
Appearance and Mood
Although I was fully prepared to see my metropolis represented using primitive rendering, excluding a few unpolished motions and sometimes citizens positioned inside seating as opposed to atop a bench, the first-person view appears considerably improved over predictions. The intricately designed surfaces (especially stone surfaces) shouldn't logically be this impressive for a title that remains primarily overhead. You may not see any individual strands of hair, but you will see wall inscriptions, flames emitting from lights, brick decoloration, pupils, and pine tree leaves. Evening, with glowing light sources and stars shining in the distance, is especially atmospheric, and feels much less frightening versus the earlier title, given that the populace appears unlike sleep paralysis demons now.
Testing and Personalization
Given the covert first-person feature has no guided tutorial, I chose to test various actions, and immediately located the options to jump, sprint, and zoom in or out — with the latter allowing me to change from first-person to third-person mode and back. I then experimented with some number buttons and learned I could modify my avatar's look. Amber garment? Red toga? 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 shoot flaming projectiles upward. If you're interested, harming inhabitants is impossible (though I didn't test this, obviously).
Amusement and Inhabitant Dialogues
But I wouldn’t wish to harm my citizens anyway, since they're incredibly amusing. Shortly after I activated the first-person view, I heard a parent advising their offspring that he “Can’t have a pet fox and should you provide another poultry, your grandmother will be furious.” Understandable stance, father character. A friendly native Celtic person then started applauding my excellent cross-cultural strategies by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” meanwhile a grumpy senior female opted to menace 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 experienced the pleasure of driving through classical settlements. Totally unintentionally, I interacted with a cart and was promptly seated on the box. Oxen, donkeys, even manually drawn vehicles; you can drive them all at your leisure. The donkey-powered transport, notably, travels rather rapidly, but don't anticipate Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (reiterating, without confirming testing).
Battle Constraints
The sole aspect that let me down within the immersive perspective was finding out I couldn’t partake in battle encounters. Sporting my soldier fit, I charged toward adversaries during active combat and attempted to attack them, only to be ignored completely. The close-up view was still rather spectacular, and observing foes flee, their arms flailing about, proved very satisfying, yet it would have been exciting to actually hit something using my fiery projectiles.
