Anno 117 Pax Romana's Top Secret Is a Stunning First-Person View.
Surprisingly — did you realize it's possible to experience the game Anno 117 from a first-person viewpoint? Should that be your response, your surprise matches as I was when I discovered this hidden feature. I must briefly leave managing my empire, leave it in a reliable subordinate, borrow a cart, and go for a joyride around the classical city.
Unlocking the First-Person Mode
Being a city-building title, Anno 117 Pax Romana is normally experienced from a bird's-eye view. But, should you input a hidden code — for example “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on keyboard alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on a controller — you gain the ability to walk your domain as a common citizen. Because an analogous secret appeared in the earlier game Anno 1800, I felt excited to experience it in Ubisoft's newest game, but I wasn’t sure it would work until I found myself submerged in a structural glitch (likely not meant to happen — this feature can be a little buggy at times).
Roaming the Streets of Rome
Once I crawled out, I walked the bustling streets of my city and toured markets, breweries, flower fields, and seafood collectors — the experience was splendid to witness the fruits of my labor from a brand-new perspective. I detected all kinds of details I might have missed from the top-down view: Entryway ornaments, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, chickens running loose, folks chilling on their balconies… Simply noticing the design of a windowsill and the coloration on a post proves fascinating to modern individuals unfamiliar with ancient life.
More Than Just Walking
Yet, the experience extends to the game's immersive perspective than strolling along the road. I felt particularly pleased upon discovering that not only could I observe agricultural plots, but also enter them. And even though I thought structures would be inaccessible, I was able to enter clay pits, investigate a respected schoolhouse while lessons were in session, and intrude into private gardens. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the studio allocated resources for that), however, you can definitely meander across a cereal plantation, observe people digging and transporting bags, and take a peek inside any small shack when there's no doorway obstructing.
Visual Quality and Atmosphere
Although I was fully prepared to observe my settlement depicted with outdated visual quality, excluding a few unpolished motions and periodic inhabitants sitting in a bench rather than on a bench, the first-person view appears considerably improved over predictions. The highly detailed textures (especially stone surfaces) are unexpectedly excellent for a title that remains primarily overhead. You may not see specific hair details, however, you can observe writings on surfaces, flames emitting from lights, brick decoloration, iris elements, and evergreen foliage. The night, featuring dancing flames and distant stellar illumination, generates a uniquely immersive environment, and also a lot less scary compared to Anno 1800, now that the citizens don’t look like sleep paralysis demons anymore.
Discovery and Modification
Since Anno 117’s super-secret first-person mode lacks official documentation, I chose to test various actions, and immediately located the abilities to leap, run, and adjusting the view — the zoom function permitting me to change from first-person to third-person mode and return. I then experimented with certain numeric keys and found I could alter my avatar's look. Yellow toga? Red toga? Blue and purple toga? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You can wield a blade and protection, or, personally chosen, equip a shooter's costume; if you hit the interaction button, you launch incendiary bolts heavenward. In case you’re wondering, harming inhabitants is impossible (though I didn't test this, obviously).
Amusement and Inhabitant Dialogues
Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, because they’re way too funny. Only seconds after I landed first-person mode, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that “Owning a fox is prohibited and if you feed it one more chicken, your gran will have your head.” Understandable stance, father character. One lovely local Celt then began complimenting my brilliant Romano-Celtic policies by describing it as “Ideal combination,” while some cranky old lady decided to threaten me: “Say that one more time, and they’ll never find your body.”
The Thrill of Transportation
Just when I thought I had found everything available in the title's first-person feature, I encountered the delight of riding through classical settlements. Completely unexpectedly, I selected a carriage and quickly occupied the transport. Bovines, equines, even people-powered transports; you may operate any of them freely. The ass-drawn vehicle, specifically, travels rather rapidly, though you shouldn’t imagine Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — colliding with pedestrians or other carts is impossible (once more, not admitting any attempts).
Battle Constraints
The single feature that frustrated me within the immersive perspective was discovering my inability to participate in any fighting. Wearing my military outfit, I charged toward adversaries amidst fighting and tried to harm them, only to be ignored completely. The close-up view was nonetheless magnificent, and observing foes flee, their arms flailing about, felt highly gratifying, though it might have been amazing to effectively strike targets with my burning arrows.
