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Surprisingly — did you realize it's possible to experience Anno 117: Pax Romana using a first-person camera? Should that be your response, you feel equally astonished as I was the moment I learned this secret option. Allow me to step away from my empire’s management, entrust it to a capable deputy, commandere a carriage, and go for a joyride across the Roman world.

Unlocking the First-Person View

Being a city-building title, Anno 117 Pax Romana is normally experienced using a top-down camera. But, should you enter a secret combination — such as “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 your domain as a common citizen. Given a comparable hidden feature was included in the earlier game Anno 1800, I looked forward to experience it in the latest installment, yet I had doubts it would function until I found myself stuck in a Celtic building (likely not meant to happen — this option can be prone to glitches now and then).

Exploring the Roman Cityscape

Upon freeing myself, I strolled the bustling streets through my metropolis and explored markets, breweries, floral patches, and shellfish gatherers — it felt magnificent to see the fruits of my labor using an entirely new viewpoint. I noticed numerous fine points I wouldn’t have spotted from above: Front door decorations, a donkey carrying a flower bucket, chickens running loose, people relaxing on their verandas… Merely examining the form of a ledge and the coating on a pillar is quite interesting for those not residing in classical times.

More Than Just Walking

However, there's additional content to Anno 117’s first-person mode aside from meandering through streets. I felt particularly pleased the moment I learned that not only could I view agricultural plots, but also enter them. And even though I thought the building models would be off-limits, I was able to enter earthen quarries, tour an esteemed educational structure during active classes, and even trespass into people’s gardens. Don’t try to open any doors (not even the creators have the budget for that), but it’s entirely possible wander through a grain field, observe people digging and transporting bags, and look within any modest shelter provided the entrance is missing.

Appearance and Mood

Even though I expected to witness my city rendered using primitive rendering, apart from certain rough movements and periodic inhabitants sitting inside seating as opposed to atop a bench, the immersive perspective seems considerably improved over predictions. The intricately designed surfaces (especially stone surfaces) really have no business being this good for a title that remains primarily overhead. You won't necessarily notice separate follicular elements, yet you will notice wall inscriptions, fiery particles from lamps, fading on bricks, eye details, and conifer needles. Evening, with glowing light sources and celestial bodies twinkling afar, generates a uniquely immersive environment, and feels much less frightening relative to the previous game, given that the populace appears unlike sleep paralysis demons anymore.

Experimentation and Customization

Given the covert first-person feature doesn’t come with an instruction manual, I opted to try different commands, and quickly discovered the functions for jumping, dashing, and changing perspective — with the latter allowing me to switch between first and third-person views and back. I then decided to hit some number buttons and found I could alter my representative's visual design. Yellow toga? Ruby clothing? Sapphire and amethyst dress? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You might hold a weapon and defense, or, my favorite, don a marksman outfit; when you press the action key, you’ll fire burning arrows into the sky. If you're interested, eliminating citizens cannot be done (not that I’ve tried, of course).

Comedy and Population Encounters

However, I had no desire to injure my people, because they’re way too funny. Moments after I entered first-person mode, I heard a parent advising their offspring that he “Can’t have a pet fox and should you provide another poultry, your gran will have your head.” Understandable stance, father character. One lovely local Celt then began complimenting my outstanding integration methods by calling it the “Best of both worlds,” whereas an irritable elderly woman chose to intimidate me: “Utter those words again, and your fate will be sealed.”

The Joy of Joyriding

Just as I assumed I uncovered all possible content within the game's immersive perspective, I encountered the delight of riding across historical settings. Entirely by accident, I interacted with a cart and was promptly seated on the box. Bovines, equines, even people-powered transports; you can drive them all at your leisure. The donkey-powered transport, notably, is pretty fast, although you shouldn't expect any GTA-like shenanigans — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (reiterating, without confirming testing).

Fighting Restrictions

The single feature that frustrated me regarding the first-person view was finding out I couldn’t partake in battle encounters. Sporting my soldier fit, I charged toward adversaries in the midst of battle and attempted to attack them, yet was completely overlooked. The front-row seat was still rather spectacular, and observing foes flee, their arms flailing about, seemed enormously rewarding, though it might have been amazing to effectively strike targets with my burning arrows.

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