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Wait — did you know gamers have the option to enjoy the game Anno 117 from a first-person viewpoint? Should that be your response, you’re just as shocked as I was when I discovered this secret option. I must temporarily abandon overseeing my civilization, entrust it to a reliable subordinate, take a wagon, and enjoy a ride across the Roman world.

Unlocking the First-Person Feature

As a city-building game, the game Anno 117 is typically played from a bird's-eye view. Yet, when you input a hidden code — for example “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on a keyboard alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on console — you can explore your domain as a common citizen. Because an analogous secret was included in the previous Anno title, I was eager to test it in the new release, though I was uncertain it would operate until I found myself stuck in a Celtic building (which probably wasn’t intended — this mode can be somewhat unstable occasionally).

Exploring the Roman Cityscape

Upon freeing myself, I walked the busy roads across my settlement and visited markets, breweries, flower fields, and cockle pickers — it felt magnificent to observe all my hard work using an entirely new viewpoint. I noticed a variety of intricacies I wouldn’t have spotted when viewing from overhead: Entryway ornaments, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, poultry scattering about, citizens lounging on their terraces… Even just observing the form of a ledge and the paint layers on a column proves fascinating for those not residing in classical times.

More Than Just Walking

But there’s more to Anno 117’s first-person mode than strolling along the road. I felt particularly pleased the moment I learned that I could not just observe farming fields, but also enter them. And even though I thought interiors would be restricted, I managed to access mud extraction sites, explore a prestigious Grammaticus building during active classes, and even trespass into people’s gardens. Don't bother with door access (not even the creators allocated resources for that), but it’s entirely possible wander through a grain field, watch folks shoveling and carrying sacks, and glance into any tiny hut as long as the door is absent.

Appearance and Mood

Although I was fully prepared to see my metropolis represented with outdated visual quality, apart from certain rough movements and periodic inhabitants sitting in a bench as opposed to atop a bench, the immersive perspective seems far superior to anticipations. The highly detailed textures (notably masonry elements) shouldn't logically be this impressive for a title that remains primarily overhead. You may not see specific hair details, yet you will notice writings on surfaces, sparks flying from torches, discoloration of masonry, eye details, and pine tree leaves. Nighttime, with its flickering fires and distant stellar illumination, generates a uniquely immersive environment, and also a lot less scary versus the earlier title, given that the populace appears unlike terrifying apparitions these days.

Experimentation and Customization

Since Anno 117’s super-secret first-person mode lacks official documentation, I chose to test various actions, and immediately located the functions for jumping, dashing, and changing perspective — with the latter allowing me to switch between first and third-person views and revert. I then experimented with various digit inputs and found I could alter my character’s appearance. Yellow toga? Red toga? 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 launch incendiary bolts heavenward. In case you’re wondering, harming inhabitants is impossible (though I didn't test this, obviously).

Comedy and Population Encounters

Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, since they're incredibly amusing. Only seconds after I landed the first-person view, I heard a parent advising their offspring that he “Can’t have a pet fox and if you feed it one more chicken, your gran will have your head.” Understandable stance, father character. A friendly native Celtic person then proceeded to praise my outstanding integration methods by describing it as “Ideal combination,” meanwhile a grumpy senior female chose to intimidate me: “Utter those words again, and your fate will be sealed.”

The Joy of Joyriding

Just when I thought I had found everything available in Anno 117: Pax Romana’s first-person mode, I found the joys of joyriding across historical settings. Totally unintentionally, I selected a carriage and was promptly seated on the box. Bovines, equines, even manually drawn vehicles; you can drive them all at your leisure. The ass-drawn vehicle, specifically, travels rather rapidly, though you shouldn’t imagine open-world vehicular chaos — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (once more, not admitting any attempts).

Fighting Restrictions

The single feature that frustrated me regarding the first-person view was discovering my inability to participate in any fighting. Wearing my military outfit, I approached opposing forces in the midst of battle and tried to harm them, but was entirely disregarded. The close-up view was nonetheless magnificent, and seeing opponents retreat, their limbs waving wildly, proved very satisfying, but it would’ve been cool to effectively strike targets via my incendiary bolts.

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