Hold on — were you aware gamers have the option to enjoy Anno 117 Pax Romana using a first-person camera? Should that be your response, your surprise matches as I was the moment I learned this hidden feature. I must briefly leave overseeing my civilization, leave it in a reliable subordinate, take a wagon, and enjoy a ride across the Roman world.
As a city-building game, the game Anno 117 is typically played using a top-down camera. Yet, when 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” on console — you gain the ability to walk the realm as a regular inhabitant. Given a comparable hidden feature was part of the earlier game Anno 1800, I was eager to try it out in the latest installment, though I was uncertain it would work prior to being stuck in a Celtic building (which probably wasn’t intended — this option is prone to glitches now and then).
Once I crawled out, I strolled the bustling streets across my settlement and visited markets, breweries, blossom gardens, and seafood collectors — the experience was splendid to observe the fruits of my labor from a brand-new perspective. I noticed numerous fine points I might have missed from above: Doorway embellishments, an ass transporting a floral pail, chickens running loose, citizens lounging on their terraces… Even just observing the form of a ledge and the coating on a pillar proves fascinating to modern individuals unfamiliar with ancient life.
Yet, the experience extends to Anno 117’s first-person mode than strolling along the road. I was especially delighted the moment I learned that I could not just look upon agricultural plots, but also enter them. And although I’d assumed structures would be inaccessible, I could walk onto clay pits, explore a prestigious Grammaticus building while lessons were in session, and intrude into private gardens. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the developers allocated resources for that), however, you can definitely stroll around a barley farm, observe people digging and transporting bags, and glance into any tiny hut provided the entrance is missing.
While I was completely ready to see my metropolis represented with outdated visual quality, excluding a few unpolished motions and the occasional civilian resting within a bench instead of on a bench, the first-person view appears far superior to anticipations. The meticulously crafted materials (especially stone surfaces) are unexpectedly excellent within a game that's fundamentally a city-builder. You might not observe any individual strands of hair, but you will see wall inscriptions, flames emitting from lights, brick decoloration, eye details, and conifer needles. Evening, with glowing light sources and distant stellar illumination, is especially atmospheric, and feels much less frightening relative to the previous game, especially since the inhabitants no longer resemble sleep paralysis demons now.
Because the game's hidden immersive perspective has no guided tutorial, I opted to try different commands, and immediately located the functions for jumping, dashing, and changing perspective — the zoom function permitting me to alternate between immersive and external perspectives and return. I subsequently tried pressing certain numeric keys and discovered that I could change my avatar's look. Golden robe? Crimson attire? 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; 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).
Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, because they’re way too funny. Shortly after I activated the immersive perspective, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that “You cannot keep a fox as a pet and if you offer additional fowl, your gran will have your head.” Understandable stance, father character. A pleasant regional Celt then began complimenting my outstanding integration methods by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” while some cranky old lady decided to threaten me: “Utter those words again, and your fate will be sealed.”
Just as I assumed I had found everything available in the title's first-person feature, I experienced the pleasure of driving across historical settings. Entirely by accident, I selected a carriage and quickly occupied the transport. Cattle, asses, even people-powered transports; you can drive them all at your leisure. The donkey cart, in particular, travels rather rapidly, but don't anticipate open-world vehicular chaos — you can’t drive into people or other wagons (once more, not admitting any attempts).
The only thing that disappointed me regarding the first-person view was finding out I couldn’t partake in battle encounters. Sporting my soldier fit, I charged toward adversaries during active combat and endeavored to damage them, but was entirely disregarded. The proximate observation was nonetheless magnificent, and observing foes flee, their limbs waving wildly, felt highly gratifying, yet it would have been exciting to actually hit something using my fiery projectiles.
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