Anno 117: Pax Romana's Top Secret Is a Stunning First-Person Mode.
Surprisingly — did you realize gamers have the option to enjoy the game Anno 117 in first-person? If that’s your reaction, you’re just as shocked as I was when I discovered this secret option. Excuse me while temporarily abandon my empire’s management, entrust it to a capable deputy, take a wagon, and enjoy a ride across the Roman world.
How to Access the First-Person Feature
Being a city-building title, the game Anno 117 usually operates from a bird's-eye view. Yet, when you enter a secret combination — for example “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on a keyboard alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on console — it becomes possible to roam your domain as a common citizen. Since a similar easter egg appeared in the previous Anno title, I looked forward to test it in Ubisoft's newest game, yet I had doubts it would work until I found myself submerged in a structural glitch (possibly an unexpected bug — this feature is prone to glitches now and then).
Exploring the Roman Cityscape
Upon freeing myself, I walked the lively avenues of my city and visited shops, taverns, blossom gardens, and shellfish gatherers — it felt magnificent to see all my hard work using an entirely new viewpoint. I noticed all kinds of details I wouldn’t have spotted from the top-down view: Doorway embellishments, a donkey carrying a flower bucket, fowl roaming freely, folks chilling on their balconies… Even just observing the design of a windowsill and the coating on a pillar proves fascinating to someone who doesn’t live in Ancient Rome.
Further Than Mere Wandering
However, there's additional content to the first-person feature in Anno 117 beyond simply walking the paths. I was especially delighted the moment I learned that I could not just look upon crop lands, but also enter them. And although I’d assumed structures would be inaccessible, I was able to enter clay pits, explore a prestigious Grammaticus building as teaching was underway, and intrude into private gardens. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the creators allocated resources for that), however, you can definitely wander through a grain field, watch folks shoveling and carrying sacks, and take a peek inside any small shack provided the entrance is missing.
Appearance and Mood
Although I was fully prepared to witness my city rendered with outdated visual quality, apart from certain rough movements and sometimes citizens positioned within a bench as opposed to atop a bench, first-person mode looks considerably improved over predictions. The intricately designed surfaces (particularly rock faces) really have no business being this good in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You won't necessarily notice specific hair details, but you will see wall inscriptions, flames emitting from lights, brick decoloration, eye details, and conifer needles. Nighttime, with its flickering fires and celestial bodies twinkling afar, creates a particularly moody setting, and proves significantly less intimidating compared to Anno 1800, given that the populace appears unlike sleep paralysis demons anymore.
Experimentation and Customization
Since Anno 117’s super-secret first-person mode lacks official documentation, I decided to experiment a bit, and quickly discovered the options to jump, sprint, and zoom in or out — the last option enabling me to alternate between immersive and external perspectives and revert. I then decided to hit some number buttons and discovered that I could change my representative's visual design. Amber garment? Red toga? Blue and purple toga? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You can wield a blade and protection, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; when you press the action key, you launch incendiary bolts heavenward. If you're interested, it’s not possible to kill civilians (though I didn't test this, obviously).
Humor and Citizen Interactions
But I wouldn’t wish to harm my citizens anyway, since they're incredibly amusing. Moments after I entered the immersive perspective, I overheard a father telling his child that “You cannot keep a fox as a pet and should you provide another poultry, your gran will have your head.” Appropriate response, paternal figure. One lovely local Celt then proceeded to praise my outstanding integration methods by describing it as “Ideal combination,” whereas an irritable elderly woman chose to intimidate me: “Say that one more time, and they’ll never find your body.”
The Fun of Vehicle Use
Just when I thought I’d discovered all there is to discover in the title's first-person feature, I found the joys of joyriding in Ancient Rome. Completely unexpectedly, I selected a carriage and was promptly seated on the box. Cattle, asses, even human-pulled carts; you may operate any of them freely. The donkey cart, in particular, moves quite quickly, though you shouldn’t imagine open-world vehicular chaos — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (reiterating, without confirming testing).
Battle Constraints
The only thing that disappointed me in Anno 117’s first-person mode was discovering my inability to participate in combat situations. Equipped in warrior attire, I approached opposing forces amidst fighting and endeavored to damage them, yet was completely overlooked. The front-row seat was nonetheless magnificent, and watching the enemy run, their arms flailing about, proved very satisfying, but it would’ve been cool to successfully impact objects via my incendiary bolts.