Anno 117: Pax Romana's Hidden Gem Reveals Itself as a Impressive First-Person View.
Hold on — were you aware gamers have the option to enjoy the game Anno 117 from a first-person viewpoint? If that’s your reaction, you feel equally astonished as I was upon finding out this hidden feature. I must step away from managing my empire, delegate it to a trusted assistant, commandere a carriage, and go for a joyride through Ancient Rome.
How to Access the First-Person View
As a city-building game, Anno 117 Pax Romana is typically played using a top-down camera. However, if you input a hidden code — for example “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on a keyboard or “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on console — you can explore the realm as a regular inhabitant. Since a similar easter egg appeared in the previous Anno title, I felt excited to test it in the latest installment, yet I had doubts it would work until I found myself stuck in a Celtic building (possibly an unexpected bug — this feature tends to be prone to glitches now and then).
Exploring the Streets of Rome
Once I crawled out, I walked the busy roads through my metropolis and toured shops, taverns, blossom gardens, and seafood collectors — it felt magnificent to witness the fruits of my labor from a brand-new perspective. I noticed numerous fine points I wouldn’t have spotted when viewing from overhead: Doorway embellishments, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, poultry scattering about, citizens lounging on their terraces… Merely examining the design of a windowsill and the coloration on a post proves fascinating for those not residing in classical times.
More Than Just Walking
However, there's additional content to Anno 117’s first-person mode aside from meandering through streets. I became extraordinarily excited upon discovering that I could not just look upon farming fields, but also step into them. And although I’d assumed structures would be inaccessible, I was able to enter clay pits, investigate a respected schoolhouse while lessons were in session, and invade personal courtyards. Avoid attempting to open doors (not even the creators have the budget for that), however, you can definitely wander through a grain field, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and look within any modest shelter when there's no doorway obstructing.
Graphics and Ambiance
Even though I expected to see my metropolis represented with outdated visual quality, apart from certain rough movements and sometimes citizens positioned inside seating as opposed to atop a bench, the first-person view appears far superior to anticipations. The intricately designed surfaces (especially stone surfaces) really have no business being this good within a game that's fundamentally a city-builder. You may not see specific hair details, however, you can observe engravings on walls, sparks flying from torches, fading on bricks, eye details, and pine tree leaves. The night, featuring dancing flames and stars shining in the distance, is especially atmospheric, and also a lot less scary relative to the previous game, given that the populace appears unlike terrifying apparitions these days.
Experimentation and Customization
Given the covert first-person feature lacks official documentation, I opted to try different commands, and promptly found 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 revert. I subsequently tried pressing certain numeric keys and discovered that I could change my character’s appearance. Golden robe? Red toga? Sapphire and amethyst dress? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You may carry a sword and shield, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; when you press the action key, you launch incendiary bolts heavenward. In case you’re wondering, eliminating citizens cannot be done (though I didn't test this, obviously).
Amusement and Inhabitant Dialogues
However, I had no desire to injure my people, since they're incredibly amusing. Only seconds after I landed the first-person view, I overheard a father telling his child that “Owning a fox is prohibited and should you provide another poultry, your grandmother will be furious.” Appropriate response, paternal figure. A pleasant regional Celt then started applauding my brilliant Romano-Celtic policies by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” whereas an irritable elderly woman decided to threaten me: “Repeat that statement, and your disappearance will be permanent.”
The Fun of Vehicle Use
Just when I thought I’d discovered all there is to discover in Anno 117: Pax Romana’s first-person mode, I encountered the delight of riding through classical settlements. Completely unexpectedly, I interacted with a cart and was promptly seated on the box. Bovines, equines, even manually drawn vehicles; you may operate any of them freely. The donkey cart, in particular, is pretty fast, although you shouldn't expect Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (once more, not admitting any attempts).
Battle Constraints
The sole aspect that let me down in Anno 117’s first-person mode was discovering my inability to participate in any fighting. Sporting my soldier fit, I charged toward adversaries amidst fighting and tried to harm them, only to be ignored completely. The close-up view remained quite impressive, and seeing opponents retreat, their limbs waving wildly, proved very satisfying, but it would’ve been cool to actually hit something using my fiery projectiles.
