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Hold on — were you aware you can play the game Anno 117 using a first-person camera? If you're thinking that, you’re just as shocked as I was the moment I learned this concealed mode. I must temporarily abandon managing my empire, delegate it to a capable deputy, commandere a carriage, and enjoy a ride around the classical city.

How to Access the First-Person View

As a city-building game, Anno 117 Pax Romana is typically played from an overhead perspective. Yet, when you input a hidden code — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on a keyboard alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” with a gamepad — you can explore the empire as an ordinary Roman. Given a comparable hidden feature was included in Anno 1800, I felt excited to test it in the new release, but I wasn’t sure it would function before I discovered myself stuck in a Celtic building (which probably wasn’t intended — this mode is a little buggy at times).

Roaming the Roman Cityscape

After extracting myself, I strolled the bustling streets of my city and toured stalls, alehouses, blossom gardens, and seafood collectors — the experience was splendid to observe my diligent efforts through a fresh lens. I detected all kinds of details that would escape notice from the top-down view: Doorway embellishments, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, poultry scattering about, people relaxing on their verandas… Merely examining the design of a windowsill and the paint layers on a column is quite interesting to someone who doesn’t live in Ancient Rome.

Further Than Mere Wandering

But there’s more to Anno 117’s first-person mode beyond simply walking the paths. I became extraordinarily excited when I found out that besides being able to view agricultural plots, but also enter them. And even though I thought the building models would be off-limits, I could walk onto earthen quarries, investigate a respected schoolhouse while lessons were in session, and intrude into private gardens. Don't bother with door access (not even the developers allocated resources for that), however, you can definitely meander across a cereal plantation, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and look within any modest shelter when there's no doorway obstructing.

Appearance and Mood

Although I was fully prepared to observe my settlement depicted in PlayStation 1 graphics, besides some crude animations and the occasional civilian resting inside seating as opposed to atop a bench, the first-person view appears far superior to anticipations. The meticulously crafted materials (particularly rock faces) shouldn't logically be this impressive in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You might not observe any individual strands of hair, however, you can observe wall inscriptions, flames emitting from lights, discoloration of masonry, pupils, and pine tree leaves. Evening, with glowing light sources and distant stellar illumination, is especially atmospheric, and also a lot less scary compared to Anno 1800, given that the populace appears unlike terrifying apparitions anymore.

Testing and Personalization

Because the game's hidden immersive perspective doesn’t come with an instruction manual, I chose to test various actions, and quickly discovered the abilities to leap, run, and adjusting the view — the last option enabling me to switch between first and third-person views and return. I subsequently tried pressing various digit inputs and learned I could modify my representative's visual design. Amber garment? Red toga? Azure and violet outfit? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You may carry a sword and shield, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; if you activate the engage command, you shoot flaming projectiles upward. If you're interested, harming inhabitants is impossible (not that I attempted, naturally).

Humor and Citizen Interactions

However, I had no desire to injure my people, since they're incredibly amusing. Shortly after I activated the immersive perspective, I heard a parent advising their offspring that “Owning a fox is prohibited and if you offer additional fowl, your elder will punish you.” Appropriate response, paternal figure. One lovely local Celt then started applauding my outstanding integration methods by calling it the “Best of both worlds,” whereas an irritable elderly woman decided to threaten me: “Utter those words again, and your fate will be sealed.”

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. Entirely by accident, I selected a carriage and was promptly seated on the box. Oxen, donkeys, even human-pulled carts; you may operate any of them freely. The donkey cart, in particular, is pretty fast, although you shouldn't expect Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — colliding with pedestrians or other carts is impossible (again, not saying I’ve tried).

Fighting Restrictions

The sole aspect that let me down within the immersive perspective was discovering my inability to participate in any fighting. Sporting my soldier fit, I approached opposing forces in the midst of battle and attempted to attack them, but was entirely disregarded. The proximate observation was still rather spectacular, and watching the enemy run, their limbs waving wildly, seemed enormously rewarding, though it might have been amazing to successfully impact objects using my fiery projectiles.

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