Anno 117: Pax Romana's Top Secret Turns Out to Be a Breathtaking First-Person Mode.
Wait — did you know you can play Anno 117: Pax Romana from a first-person viewpoint? If you're thinking that, you feel equally astonished compared to my initial response upon finding out this hidden feature. Allow me to briefly leave overseeing my civilization, delegate it to a capable deputy, borrow a cart, and enjoy a ride around the classical city.
Unlocking the First-Person Mode
In its role as a city-builder, Anno 117 Pax Romana is normally experienced using a top-down camera. However, if you input a hidden code — including “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” using PC controls or else “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” with a gamepad — you can explore your domain as a common citizen. Because an analogous secret was included in Anno 1800, I was eager to try it out in Ubisoft's newest game, though I was uncertain it would function until I found myself chin-deep in a Celtic floorboard (possibly an unexpected bug — this option tends to be somewhat unstable occasionally).
Discovering the Ancient Streets
Upon freeing myself, I strolled the lively avenues across my settlement and explored markets, breweries, blossom gardens, and cockle pickers — the experience was splendid to witness all my hard work using an entirely new viewpoint. I observed a variety of intricacies I wouldn’t have spotted from above: Doorway embellishments, an ass transporting a floral pail, poultry scattering about, citizens lounging on their terraces… Simply noticing the shape of a window sill and the paint layers on a column becomes engaging to modern individuals unfamiliar with ancient life.
More Than Just Walking
Yet, the experience extends to Anno 117’s first-person mode than strolling along the road. I became extraordinarily excited the moment I learned that I could not just view agricultural plots, but also step into them. And despite my expectation interiors would be restricted, I managed to access earthen quarries, investigate a respected schoolhouse while lessons were in session, and intrude into private gardens. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the developers have the budget for that), but it’s entirely possible stroll around a barley farm, watch folks shoveling and carrying sacks, and look within any modest shelter provided the entrance is missing.
Visual Quality and Atmosphere
While I was completely ready to witness my city rendered with outdated visual quality, excluding a few unpolished motions and the occasional civilian resting inside seating instead of on a bench, first-person mode looks far superior to anticipations. The meticulously crafted materials (especially stone surfaces) are unexpectedly excellent in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You won't necessarily notice specific hair details, yet you will notice writings on surfaces, sparks flying from torches, brick decoloration, iris elements, and pine tree leaves. Nighttime, with its flickering fires and stars shining in the distance, generates a uniquely immersive environment, and proves significantly less intimidating versus the earlier title, now that the citizens don’t look like nightmarish entities anymore.
Discovery and Modification
Because the game's hidden immersive perspective lacks official documentation, I chose to test various actions, and immediately located the options to jump, sprint, and changing perspective — with the latter allowing me to switch between first and third-person views and revert. I then experimented with various digit inputs 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 hit the interaction button, you’ll fire burning arrows into the sky. If you're interested, eliminating citizens cannot be done (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 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 brilliant Romano-Celtic policies by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” meanwhile a grumpy senior female opted to menace me: “Repeat that statement, and your disappearance will be permanent.”
The Fun of Vehicle Use
At the moment I believed I uncovered all possible content within the game's immersive perspective, I encountered the delight of riding in Ancient Rome. Entirely by accident, I interacted with a cart and was promptly seated on the box. Oxen, donkeys, even people-powered transports; you can drive them all at your leisure. The donkey-powered transport, notably, is pretty fast, although you shouldn't expect any GTA-like shenanigans — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (once more, not admitting any attempts).
Fighting Restrictions
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 endeavored to damage them, but was entirely disregarded. The proximate observation was nonetheless magnificent, and watching the enemy run, their appendages thrashing around, felt highly gratifying, but it would’ve been cool to effectively strike targets using my fiery projectiles.
