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Surprisingly — did you realize it's possible to experience Anno 117 Pax Romana in first-person? Should that be your response, you feel equally astonished as my own reaction upon finding out this hidden feature. Allow me to step away from managing my empire, delegate it to a capable deputy, borrow a cart, and go for a joyride through Ancient Rome.

Unlocking the First-Person Mode

Being a city-building title, the game Anno 117 is typically played from a bird's-eye view. Yet, when you input a hidden code — including “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on a keyboard or “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on a controller — you can explore the realm as a regular inhabitant. Given a comparable hidden feature was included in the previous Anno title, I was eager to experience 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 mode is a little buggy at times).

Discovering the Streets of Rome

Once I crawled out, I walked the bustling streets across my settlement and visited stalls, alehouses, flower fields, and seafood collectors — the experience was splendid to observe all my hard work using an entirely new viewpoint. I observed a variety of intricacies I wouldn’t have spotted when viewing from overhead: Doorway embellishments, an ass transporting a floral pail, fowl roaming freely, citizens lounging on their terraces… Even just observing the design of a windowsill and the paint layers on a column proves fascinating for those not residing in classical times.

Further Than Mere Wandering

However, there's additional content to Anno 117’s first-person mode aside from meandering through streets. I felt particularly pleased when I found out that not only could I look upon crop lands, but also step into them. And although I’d assumed the building models would be off-limits, I managed to access mud extraction sites, investigate a respected schoolhouse while lessons were in session, and even trespass into people’s gardens. Don't bother with door access (not even the creators allocated resources for that), yet it's completely feasible stroll around a barley farm, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and look within any modest shelter provided the entrance is missing.

Visual Quality and Atmosphere

While I was completely ready to observe my settlement depicted using primitive rendering, besides some crude animations and sometimes citizens positioned within a bench rather than on a bench, the immersive perspective seems much better than expected. The meticulously crafted materials (notably masonry elements) really have no business being this good for a title that remains primarily overhead. You may not see any individual strands of hair, however, you can observe wall inscriptions, sparks flying from torches, brick decoloration, eye details, and conifer needles. The night, featuring dancing flames and celestial bodies twinkling afar, creates a particularly moody setting, and also a lot less scary relative to the previous game, now that the citizens don’t look like nightmarish entities these days.

Testing and Personalization

Because the game's hidden immersive perspective has no guided tutorial, I decided to experiment a bit, and immediately located the abilities to leap, run, and changing perspective — the last option enabling me to alternate between immersive and external perspectives and back. I then decided to hit some number buttons and found I could alter my representative's visual design. Amber garment? Ruby clothing? Azure and violet outfit? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You may carry a sword and shield, or, personally chosen, equip a shooter's costume; 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 (not that I attempted, naturally).

Amusement and Inhabitant Dialogues

However, I had no desire to injure my people, because they’re way too funny. Only seconds after I landed the first-person view, I heard a parent advising their offspring that “Owning a fox is prohibited and should you provide another poultry, your elder will punish you.” Appropriate response, paternal figure. One lovely local Celt then began complimenting my outstanding integration methods by describing it as “Ideal combination,” whereas an irritable elderly woman chose to intimidate me: “Utter those words again, and your fate will be sealed.”

The Joy of Joyriding

Just when I thought I uncovered all possible content in Anno 117: Pax Romana’s first-person mode, I encountered the delight of riding across historical settings. Totally unintentionally, I clicked on a wagon and was promptly seated on the box. Cattle, asses, even human-pulled carts; you can drive them all at your leisure. The donkey cart, in particular, moves quite quickly, but don't anticipate Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — colliding with pedestrians or other carts is impossible (reiterating, without confirming testing).

Battle Constraints

The only thing that disappointed me regarding the first-person view was finding out I couldn’t partake in combat situations. Sporting my soldier fit, I charged toward adversaries amidst fighting and endeavored to damage them, but was entirely disregarded. The close-up view was still rather spectacular, and watching the enemy run, their appendages thrashing around, felt highly gratifying, but it would’ve been cool to effectively strike targets via my incendiary bolts.

{Conclusion: More to Discover|Final Thoughts: Additional Exploration