Anno 117 Pax Romana's Hidden Gem Reveals Itself as a Breathtaking First-Person View.
Hold on — were you aware it's possible to experience the game Anno 117 in first-person? If you're thinking that, your surprise matches as my own reaction upon finding out this concealed mode. Excuse me while briefly leave managing my empire, leave it in a reliable subordinate, commandere a carriage, and go for a joyride through Ancient Rome.
How to Access the First-Person Mode
Being a city-building title, Anno 117 Pax Romana usually operates using a top-down camera. However, if you input a hidden code — including “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on a keyboard or else “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” with a gamepad — you gain the ability to walk your domain as a common citizen. Since a similar easter egg was included in the previous Anno title, I was eager to experience it in the new release, but I wasn’t sure it would function before I discovered myself chin-deep in a Celtic floorboard (which probably wasn’t intended — this mode tends to be somewhat unstable occasionally).
Discovering the Roman Cityscape
Upon freeing myself, I wandered the lively avenues of my city and explored shops, taverns, flower fields, and cockle pickers — it was glorious to witness all my hard work from a brand-new perspective. I noticed numerous fine points that would escape notice when viewing from overhead: Front door decorations, a donkey carrying a flower bucket, fowl roaming freely, folks chilling on their balconies… Simply noticing the shape of a window sill and the paint layers on a column is quite interesting to modern individuals unfamiliar with ancient life.
Further Than Mere Wandering
However, there's additional content to Anno 117’s first-person mode aside from meandering through streets. I was especially delighted when I found out that besides being able to view farming fields, but also enter them. And although I’d assumed the building models would be off-limits, I managed to access mud extraction sites, explore a prestigious Grammaticus building while lessons were in session, and invade personal courtyards. Don't bother with door access (not even the developers have the budget for that), however, you can definitely wander through a grain field, observe people digging and transporting bags, and take a peek inside any small shack when there's no doorway obstructing.
Appearance and Mood
While I was completely ready to see my metropolis represented in PlayStation 1 graphics, excluding a few unpolished motions and periodic inhabitants sitting inside seating rather than on a bench, the first-person view appears far superior to anticipations. The meticulously crafted materials (particularly rock faces) are unexpectedly excellent for a title that remains primarily overhead. You won't necessarily notice separate follicular elements, yet you will notice writings on surfaces, fiery particles from lamps, fading on bricks, pupils, and conifer needles. Evening, with glowing light sources and distant stellar illumination, is especially atmospheric, and feels much less frightening compared to Anno 1800, now that the citizens don’t look like nightmarish entities these days.
Testing and Personalization
Since Anno 117’s super-secret first-person mode has no guided tutorial, I opted to try different commands, and immediately located the abilities to leap, run, and changing perspective — with the latter allowing me to alternate between immersive and external perspectives and return. I subsequently tried pressing certain numeric keys and found I could alter my avatar's look. Yellow toga? Red toga? Sapphire and amethyst dress? Or — perhaps even better — full armor? You might hold a weapon and defense, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; if you activate the engage command, you’ll fire burning arrows into the sky. 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 first-person mode, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that he “Can’t have a pet fox and should you provide another poultry, your gran will have your head.” Understandable stance, father character. A pleasant regional Celt then started applauding my outstanding integration methods by describing it as “Ideal combination,” while some cranky old lady chose to intimidate me: “Repeat that statement, and your disappearance will be permanent.”
The Fun of Vehicle Use
At the moment I believed I’d discovered all there is to discover in Anno 117: Pax Romana’s first-person mode, I experienced the pleasure of driving through classical settlements. Totally unintentionally, I clicked on a wagon and immediately found myself in the driver's position. Bovines, equines, even people-powered transports; you can drive them all at your leisure. The ass-drawn vehicle, specifically, travels rather rapidly, although you shouldn't expect Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (once more, not admitting any attempts).
Combat Limitations
The only thing that disappointed me regarding the first-person view was finding out I couldn’t partake in any fighting. Equipped in warrior attire, I approached opposing forces amidst fighting and endeavored to damage them, only to be ignored completely. The proximate observation was nonetheless magnificent, and observing foes flee, their arms flailing about, proved very satisfying, yet it would have been exciting to actually hit something via my incendiary bolts.