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Wait — did you know it's possible to experience the game Anno 117 from a first-person viewpoint? If that’s your reaction, your surprise matches compared to my initial response upon finding out this concealed mode. Excuse me while step away from my empire’s management, leave it in a capable deputy, borrow a cart, and enjoy a ride around the classical city.

Activating the First-Person Feature

As a city-building game, the game Anno 117 usually operates from a bird's-eye view. Yet, when you input a hidden code — for example “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on a keyboard or “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” with a gamepad — you can explore your domain as a common citizen. Given a comparable hidden feature was included in Anno 1800, I was eager to test it in the latest installment, yet I had doubts it would work prior to being stuck in a Celtic building (which probably wasn’t intended — this mode tends to be a little buggy at times).

Exploring the Roman Cityscape

After extracting myself, I wandered the bustling streets across my settlement and toured markets, breweries, blossom gardens, and seafood collectors — the experience was splendid to witness my diligent efforts using an entirely new viewpoint. I noticed numerous fine points I wouldn’t have spotted from the top-down view: Entryway ornaments, an ass transporting a floral pail, poultry scattering about, citizens lounging on their terraces… Simply noticing the form of a ledge and the coloration on a post is quite interesting for those not residing in classical times.

Beyond Simple Strolling

However, there's additional content to Anno 117’s first-person mode than strolling along the road. I became extraordinarily excited when I found out that not only could I observe agricultural plots, but also step into them. And despite my expectation the building models would be off-limits, I managed to access earthen quarries, investigate a respected schoolhouse while lessons were in session, and intrude into private 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 take a peek inside any small shack when there's no doorway obstructing.

Visual Quality and Atmosphere

Even though I expected to observe my settlement depicted in PlayStation 1 graphics, excluding a few unpolished motions and the occasional civilian resting within a bench rather than on a bench, the first-person view appears far superior to anticipations. The intricately designed surfaces (especially stone surfaces) shouldn't logically be this impressive in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You won't necessarily notice specific hair details, yet you will notice engravings on walls, sparks flying from torches, brick decoloration, eye details, and evergreen foliage. Evening, with glowing light sources 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 nightmarish entities anymore.

Discovery and Modification

Given the covert first-person feature lacks official documentation, I opted to try different commands, and immediately located the abilities to leap, run, and adjusting the view — the last option enabling me to change from first-person to third-person mode and revert. I then experimented with various digit inputs and found I could alter my avatar's look. Amber garment? Crimson attire? Azure and violet outfit? Or — perhaps even better — full armor? You may carry a sword and shield, or, my favorite, don a marksman outfit; when you press the action key, you launch incendiary bolts heavenward. In case you’re wondering, eliminating citizens cannot be done (not that I’ve tried, of course).

Comedy and Population Encounters

Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, because they’re way too funny. Moments after I entered the immersive perspective, I listened to a dad instructing his kid that “Owning a fox is prohibited and if you feed it one more chicken, your gran will have your head.” Rightly so, Roman dad. 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: “Say that one more time, and they’ll never find your body.”

The Joy of Joyriding

Just when I thought I uncovered all possible content within the game's immersive perspective, I encountered the delight of riding across historical settings. Entirely by accident, I selected a carriage and was promptly seated on the box. Cattle, asses, even manually drawn vehicles; you may operate any of them freely. The donkey cart, in particular, moves quite quickly, although you shouldn't expect any GTA-like shenanigans — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (again, not saying I’ve tried).

Combat Limitations

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 charged toward adversaries during active combat and endeavored to damage them, only to be ignored completely. The close-up view was nonetheless magnificent, and observing foes flee, their appendages thrashing around, proved very satisfying, yet it would have been exciting to actually hit something with my burning arrows.

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