Anno 117 Pax Romana's Top Secret Is a Breathtaking First-Person Mode.
Surprisingly — did you realize it's possible to experience Anno 117 Pax Romana from a first-person viewpoint? Should that be your response, your surprise matches as my own reaction upon finding out this secret option. Excuse me while temporarily abandon my empire’s management, delegate it to a reliable subordinate, take a wagon, and go for a joyride across the Roman world.
Activating the First-Person View
Being a city-building title, Anno 117: Pax Romana usually operates from a bird's-eye view. Yet, when you input a hidden code — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on 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. Because an analogous secret was part of the previous Anno title, I was eager to experience it in the latest installment, though I was uncertain it would function prior to being submerged in a structural glitch (which probably wasn’t intended — this mode tends to be somewhat unstable occasionally).
Roaming the Roman Cityscape
Upon freeing myself, I walked the bustling streets through my metropolis and visited markets, breweries, flower fields, and cockle pickers — the experience was splendid to observe all my hard work through a fresh lens. I observed a variety of intricacies that would escape notice from the top-down view: Entryway ornaments, an ass transporting a floral pail, chickens running loose, people relaxing on their verandas… Merely examining the design of a windowsill and the coating on a pillar becomes engaging to someone who doesn’t live in Ancient Rome.
Further Than Mere Wandering
However, there's additional content to the game's immersive perspective than strolling along the road. I became extraordinarily excited the moment I learned that I could not just observe farming fields, but also step into them. And despite my expectation structures would be inaccessible, I could walk onto mud extraction sites, investigate a respected schoolhouse as teaching was underway, and intrude into private gardens. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the developers allocated resources for that), yet it's completely feasible stroll around a barley farm, observe people digging and transporting bags, and glance into any tiny hut when there's no doorway obstructing.
Graphics and Ambiance
Although I was fully prepared to see my metropolis represented using primitive rendering, besides some crude animations and sometimes citizens positioned in a bench instead of on a bench, first-person mode looks considerably improved over predictions. The meticulously crafted materials (particularly rock faces) shouldn't logically be this impressive in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You won't necessarily notice any individual strands of hair, however, you can observe wall inscriptions, flames emitting from lights, fading on bricks, iris elements, and pine tree leaves. Nighttime, with its flickering fires and stars shining in the distance, creates a particularly moody setting, and also a lot less scary compared to Anno 1800, given that the populace appears unlike nightmarish entities now.
Testing and Personalization
Because the game's hidden immersive perspective has no guided tutorial, I opted to try different commands, and quickly discovered the functions for jumping, dashing, and adjusting the view — the zoom function permitting me to change from first-person to third-person mode and back. I then decided to hit some number buttons and found I could alter my character’s appearance. Amber garment? Crimson attire? Azure and violet outfit? Or — potentially preferable — armored suit? You may carry a sword and shield, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; if you hit the interaction button, you shoot flaming projectiles upward. In case you’re wondering, harming inhabitants is impossible (not that I attempted, naturally).
Amusement and Inhabitant Dialogues
However, I had no desire to injure my people, as they're remarkably entertaining. Shortly after I activated the first-person view, I overheard a father telling his child that “You cannot keep a fox as a pet and if you offer additional fowl, your grandmother will be furious.” Rightly so, Roman dad. A pleasant regional Celt then began complimenting my excellent cross-cultural strategies by calling it the “Best of both worlds,” whereas an irritable elderly woman opted to menace me: “Repeat that statement, and your disappearance will be permanent.”
The Joy of Joyriding
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. Totally unintentionally, I clicked on a wagon and was promptly seated on the box. Oxen, donkeys, even human-pulled carts; you may operate any of them freely. The donkey-powered transport, notably, is pretty fast, but don't anticipate Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — colliding with pedestrians or other carts is impossible (once more, not admitting any attempts).
Combat Limitations
The sole aspect that let me down in Anno 117’s first-person mode was discovering my inability to participate in battle encounters. Sporting my soldier fit, I ran up to the enemy during active combat and attempted to attack them, yet was completely overlooked. The proximate observation remained quite impressive, and watching the enemy run, their limbs waving wildly, felt highly gratifying, though it might have been amazing to actually hit something using my fiery projectiles.
