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Surprisingly — did you realize gamers have the option to enjoy the game Anno 117 in first-person? Should that be your response, you feel equally astonished compared to my initial response the moment I learned this secret option. I must briefly leave overseeing my civilization, delegate it to a reliable subordinate, take a wagon, and go for a joyride across the Roman world.

Unlocking the First-Person Feature

In its role as a city-builder, Anno 117 Pax Romana is normally experienced using a top-down camera. But, should you input a hidden code — for example “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on keyboard alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on a controller — you gain the ability to walk the empire as an ordinary Roman. Given a comparable hidden feature was part of the earlier game Anno 1800, I was eager to experience it in the new release, but I wasn’t sure it would work prior to being submerged in a structural glitch (possibly an unexpected bug — this mode is prone to glitches now and then).

Discovering the Roman Cityscape

Once I crawled out, I wandered the lively avenues of my city and visited stalls, alehouses, floral patches, and seafood collectors — it was glorious to see my diligent efforts through a fresh lens. I observed numerous fine points I wouldn’t have spotted when viewing from overhead: Doorway embellishments, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, fowl roaming freely, people relaxing on their verandas… Merely examining the design of a windowsill and the coating on a pillar is quite interesting to someone who doesn’t live in Ancient Rome.

Further Than Mere Wandering

But there’s more 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 view crop lands, but also access them. And despite my expectation interiors would be restricted, I managed to access earthen quarries, tour an esteemed educational structure while lessons were in session, and even trespass into people’s gardens. Avoid attempting to open doors (not even the studio allocated resources for that), however, you can definitely stroll around a barley farm, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and glance into any tiny hut when there's no doorway obstructing.

Graphics and Ambiance

Even though I expected to observe my settlement depicted in PlayStation 1 graphics, besides some crude animations and the occasional civilian resting in a bench instead of on a bench, first-person mode looks far superior to anticipations. The highly detailed textures (especially stone surfaces) shouldn't logically be this impressive in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You won't necessarily notice separate follicular elements, yet you will notice writings on surfaces, sparks flying from torches, brick decoloration, iris elements, and pine tree leaves. Nighttime, with its flickering fires and distant stellar illumination, generates a uniquely immersive environment, and also a lot less scary compared to Anno 1800, especially since the inhabitants no longer resemble sleep paralysis demons anymore.

Discovery and Modification

Given the covert first-person feature has no guided tutorial, I decided to experiment a bit, and immediately located the functions for jumping, dashing, and changing perspective — the last option enabling me to alternate between immersive and external perspectives and return. I then decided to hit various digit inputs and discovered that I could change my avatar's look. Golden robe? Crimson attire? Sapphire and amethyst dress? Or — potentially preferable — armored suit? You may carry a sword and shield, or, my favorite, don a marksman outfit; if you activate the engage command, you’ll fire burning arrows into the sky. In case you’re wondering, eliminating citizens cannot be done (not that I attempted, naturally).

Comedy and Population Encounters

However, I had no desire to injure my people, as they're remarkably entertaining. Moments after I entered the first-person view, I heard a parent advising their offspring that “Owning a fox is prohibited and if you offer additional fowl, your gran will have your head.” Understandable stance, father character. A pleasant regional Celt then started applauding my brilliant Romano-Celtic policies by calling it the “Best of both worlds,” meanwhile a grumpy senior female opted to menace me: “Repeat that statement, and your disappearance will be permanent.”

The Joy of Joyriding

Just as I assumed I uncovered all possible content within the game's immersive perspective, I experienced the pleasure of driving through classical settlements. Totally unintentionally, I interacted with a cart and was promptly seated on the box. Bovines, equines, even manually drawn vehicles; you can control each one as desired. The donkey cart, in particular, moves quite quickly, but don't anticipate Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (again, not saying I’ve tried).

Fighting Restrictions

The single feature that frustrated me regarding the first-person view was discovering my inability to participate in combat situations. Equipped in warrior attire, I charged toward adversaries amidst fighting and attempted to attack them, but was entirely disregarded. The proximate observation was nonetheless magnificent, and watching the enemy run, their arms flailing about, seemed enormously rewarding, yet it would have been exciting to actually hit something using my fiery projectiles.

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