Anno 117 Pax Romana's Top Secret Turns Out to Be a Stunning First-Person View.
Surprisingly — did you realize you can play Anno 117 Pax Romana using a first-person camera? Should that be your response, you’re just as shocked as my own reaction when I discovered this secret option. I must temporarily abandon my empire’s management, entrust it to a capable deputy, borrow a cart, and enjoy a ride around the classical city.
Unlocking the First-Person Feature
Being a city-building title, Anno 117 Pax Romana usually operates from a bird's-eye view. Yet, when you press a covert button sequence — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” using PC controls 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 was part of Anno 1800, I was eager to test it in Ubisoft's newest game, but I wasn’t sure it would function prior to being stuck in a Celtic building (which probably wasn’t intended — this option tends to be a little buggy at times).
Exploring the Ancient Streets
Upon freeing myself, I walked the lively avenues through my metropolis and visited stalls, alehouses, blossom gardens, and seafood collectors — it was glorious to witness the fruits of my labor through a fresh lens. I noticed a variety of intricacies I might have missed when viewing from overhead: Entryway ornaments, an ass transporting a floral pail, fowl roaming freely, folks chilling on their balconies… Merely examining the shape of a window sill and the paint layers on a column becomes engaging for those not residing in classical times.
Beyond Simple Strolling
However, there's additional content to the game's immersive perspective beyond simply walking the paths. I felt particularly pleased the moment I learned that not only could I observe crop lands, but also step into them. And although I’d assumed interiors would be restricted, I could walk onto earthen quarries, investigate a respected schoolhouse during active classes, and invade personal courtyards. Don't bother with door access (not even the creators allocated resources for that), however, you can definitely stroll around a barley farm, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and take a peek inside any small shack provided the entrance is missing.
Graphics and Ambiance
Even though I expected to witness my city rendered with outdated visual quality, excluding a few unpolished motions and sometimes citizens positioned within a bench rather than on a bench, the immersive perspective seems much better than expected. The meticulously crafted materials (particularly rock faces) are unexpectedly excellent in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You won't necessarily notice separate follicular elements, but you will see writings on surfaces, flames emitting from lights, fading on bricks, iris elements, and evergreen foliage. Nighttime, with its flickering fires and stars shining in the distance, generates a uniquely immersive environment, and proves significantly less intimidating relative to the previous game, given that the populace appears unlike sleep paralysis demons these days.
Testing and Personalization
Given the covert first-person feature lacks official documentation, I opted to try different commands, and immediately located the abilities to leap, run, and adjusting the view — the last option enabling me to change from first-person to third-person mode and back. I then decided to hit various digit inputs and found I could alter my character’s appearance. Golden robe? Crimson attire? Blue and purple toga? Or — potentially preferable — armored suit? You can wield a blade and protection, or, personally chosen, equip a shooter's costume; when you press the action key, you’ll fire burning arrows into the sky. If you're interested, it’s not possible to kill civilians (not that I attempted, naturally).
Comedy and Population Encounters
Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, as they're remarkably entertaining. Shortly after I activated first-person mode, I overheard a father telling his child that “You cannot keep a fox as a pet and should you provide another poultry, your elder will punish you.” Understandable stance, father character. One lovely local Celt then began complimenting my outstanding integration methods by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” meanwhile a grumpy senior female chose to intimidate 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 in Anno 117: Pax Romana’s first-person mode, I found the joys of joyriding in Ancient Rome. Totally unintentionally, I interacted with a cart and quickly occupied the transport. Oxen, donkeys, even human-pulled carts; you can control each one as desired. The ass-drawn vehicle, specifically, travels rather rapidly, but don't anticipate Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (once more, not admitting any attempts).
Combat Limitations
The sole aspect that let me down regarding the first-person view was learning about my exclusion from in battle encounters. Sporting my soldier fit, I ran up to the enemy amidst fighting and attempted to attack them, yet was completely overlooked. The proximate observation remained quite impressive, and observing foes flee, their limbs waving wildly, felt highly gratifying, yet it would have been exciting to actually hit something via my incendiary bolts.
