Anno 117: Pax Romana Review
I adore city planners, and as someone who almost chose a career as an archaeologist, I am fascinated by ancient history. It seems like Anno 117: Pax Romana was made for a target audience like me. Seventh game of the tournament Anno seriesAnno 117: Pax Romana takes the player back to a relatively peaceful period in Roman history. It was a time of expansion and innovation. It is amazing to realize how far-sighted and advanced Roman civilization was. It is a pity that the ambitions and territorial seizures of the Emperors led to the fall of a great civilization. Who knows what Albion (Britain) would have been like if the Romans had remained here?
From the walls up
I had the opportunity to play a little bit of the game's campaign and dive into the sandbox mode. Anno games have always been both deep and broad in scope. They may also be a little opaque. It was clear from the start that developer Ubisoft Mainz was diligent in solving the accessibility issue. The controls and user interface are streamlined, uncluttered, and well designed. I played everything using a controller and this time in the city builder it was quite intuitive.
In the campaign, you start out as the unwilling bride of a provincial ruler whose new husband is largely absent and you must intervene. The first hours of the campaign – all that I had access to – are essentially an extended tutorial, teaching the player the basics of construction and economics. At least at first, it feels like a controlled version of a sandbox mode, albeit with a narrative context. The talking heads that drive the plot are reminiscent of recent Civilization games and many other strategy games. They are well acted and written.
Dip your toes in the sand (box)
The sandbox mode in Anno 117 is a first in the franchise as it gives the player the ability to choose their starting location. Albion is remote and trade is less established here than in Italy. However, the assembly mechanics are the same. You start with housing, add roads and basic means of production, soon moving up the order to more civic amenities and other necessities to keep the population happy, healthy, well governed and entertained.
Anno 117 doesn't try to change the winning formula too radically. Changing the location and time period does a lot to give it a fresh feeling.
It's been almost six years since Anno's last entry, 2019's Anno 1800, a hugely popular game supported by a ton of DLC. Games have always had crisp graphics, but Anno 117 feels like a big step forward with lush, detailed graphics and believable environments. The series also features historically accurate gameplay and design elements (well, maybe not so much in Anno 2270), which is still true in this new game.
Roman world
We're currently experiencing something of a city building renaissance, with games like Manor Lords changing up the mechanics. I think I've played and enjoyed most, if not all, of the Anno games. Based on the two pieces of the game I played, the developer has struck a winning balance between depth and accessibility, which should broaden its audience. With its immersive ancient setting, Anno 117: Pax Romana is definitely a city builder with potential, and I'm looking forward to the game's final release.
***PC code provided by publisher for review***
