Anno 117: Pax Romana's Best-Kept Secret Reveals Itself as a Impressive First-Person View.
Hold on — were you aware gamers have the option to enjoy the game Anno 117 from a first-person viewpoint? Should that be your response, your surprise matches compared to my initial response the moment I learned this concealed mode. Excuse me while temporarily abandon overseeing my civilization, delegate it to a trusted assistant, take a wagon, and go for a joyride across the Roman world.
Activating the First-Person Feature
In its role as a city-builder, the game Anno 117 usually operates from a bird's-eye view. Yet, when you press a covert button sequence — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on keyboard or else “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” with a gamepad — you gain the ability to walk your domain as a common citizen. Given a comparable hidden feature was part of the earlier game Anno 1800, I was eager to try it out in the new release, yet I had doubts it would work prior to being submerged in a structural glitch (likely not meant to happen — this feature can be somewhat unstable occasionally).
Discovering the Streets of Rome
Upon freeing myself, I strolled the busy roads of my city and toured shops, taverns, blossom gardens, and seafood collectors — it was glorious to witness all my hard work using an entirely new viewpoint. I observed a variety of intricacies I wouldn’t have spotted from the top-down view: Doorway embellishments, a donkey carrying a flower bucket, fowl roaming freely, citizens lounging on their terraces… Merely examining the form of a ledge and the coating on a pillar becomes engaging to someone who doesn’t live in Ancient Rome.
Further Than Mere Wandering
Yet, the experience extends to Anno 117’s first-person mode beyond simply walking the paths. I was especially delighted upon discovering that I could not just observe crop lands, but also step into them. And even though I thought structures would be inaccessible, I could walk onto clay pits, explore a prestigious Grammaticus building while lessons were in session, and invade personal courtyards. Don't bother with door access (not even the developers planned for that functionality), yet it's completely feasible stroll around a barley farm, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and glance into any tiny hut as long as the door is absent.
Visual Quality and Atmosphere
While I was completely ready to witness my city rendered using primitive rendering, besides some crude animations and sometimes citizens positioned in a bench rather than on a bench, first-person mode looks considerably improved over predictions. The intricately designed surfaces (notably masonry elements) really have no business being this good for a title that remains primarily overhead. You might not observe any individual strands of hair, yet you will notice writings on surfaces, fiery particles from lamps, discoloration of masonry, eye details, and pine tree leaves. Evening, with glowing light sources and stars shining in the distance, is especially atmospheric, and feels much less frightening versus the earlier title, now that the citizens don’t look like sleep paralysis demons anymore.
Testing and Personalization
Given the covert first-person feature has no guided tutorial, I chose to test various actions, and immediately located the functions for jumping, dashing, and changing perspective — the zoom function permitting me to change from first-person to third-person mode and return. I then experimented with various digit inputs and learned I could modify my character’s appearance. Golden robe? Ruby clothing? Azure and violet outfit? Or — potentially preferable — armored suit? You may carry a sword and shield, or, my favorite, don a marksman outfit; if you hit the interaction button, you shoot flaming projectiles upward. Should you be curious, it’s not possible to kill civilians (though I didn't test this, obviously).
Comedy and Population Encounters
However, I had no desire to injure my people, since they're incredibly amusing. Moments after I entered first-person mode, I heard a parent advising their offspring that he “Can’t have a pet fox and if you offer additional fowl, your elder will punish you.” Understandable stance, father character. A friendly native Celtic person then started applauding my excellent cross-cultural strategies by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” while some cranky old lady decided to threaten me: “Repeat that statement, and your disappearance will be permanent.”
The Fun of Vehicle Use
Just as I assumed I’d discovered all there is to discover within the game's immersive perspective, I encountered the delight of riding in Ancient Rome. Totally unintentionally, I selected a carriage and quickly occupied the transport. Oxen, donkeys, even manually drawn vehicles; you can drive them all at your leisure. The donkey-powered transport, notably, travels rather rapidly, though you shouldn’t imagine Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — you can’t drive into people or other wagons (again, not saying I’ve tried).
Battle Constraints
The sole aspect that let me down in Anno 117’s first-person mode was discovering my inability to participate in combat situations. Sporting my soldier fit, I approached opposing forces in the midst of battle and attempted to attack them, only to be ignored completely. 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 with my burning arrows.
