I played Anno 117: Pax Romana: A safe sequel for fans of ancient Rome is coming through

Upon stepping into the ruins of Horti Sallustiani, also known as the Gardens of Sallust, I wasn’t quite certain about what lay ahead. What will the upcoming edition of Anno, referred to as Anno, turn out to be? Will it be a daring revolution, building upon past victories? A polished version of Anno 1800? Or could it possibly be an unsuccessful attempt?

As a dedicated fan, I was granted the privilege to step into the ancient ruins of Roman pavilions dating back to the 1st century BC, where Ubisoft had transformed the area into a gaming haven, furnished with countless computer stations and veiled with opaque curtains for privacy. For a few enchanting hours, I was transported to the world of Anno 117: Pax Romana. Now, from the comfort of my own home, I find myself immersed in over 3 hours of recorded gameplay, and every indication points towards this being a robust and polished title. The refinements evident in the gameplay seem to be a seamless continuation of the proven solutions from Anno 1800. Simply put, I’m excited for what lies ahead!

Simultaneously, I’m unsure if this much content will please the gamers, as only three hours of play didn’t let us progress beyond the game’s introductory stage. It seems plausible that more critical aspects will come into play as our empire expands, potentially giving the game a boost in intensity. However, these assumptions are speculative, and we should concentrate on the elements I actually experienced. Upon discussing his thoughts following the pre-launch trial of Anno 2205, my colleague stated, “a new game is here, but it’s challenging not to feel that there aren’t enough fresh concepts in it.” Indeed, he captured the essence perfectly.

Please reheat Anno 1800, darling

Just a week prior to our journey, I almost exclusively used my spare time to immerse myself in playing “Anno 1800”, including most of its add-ons. This was to analyze and contrast the present and future offerings within the series. At this moment, “Anno 1800” stands as a fully developed game that has been enriched with various biomes over time. Aside from the traditional Old World and New World, we’ve also gained Africa, the Arctic (though Cape Trelawney is essentially equivalent to the Old World).

I’m pointing this out because Anno 117 seems to resemble a new biome in Anno 1800. In many ways, it feels like Anno 180, and it’s hard to decide if these similarities are a strength or a weakness for Anno 117. Despite this, the game remains highly addictive. However, in the initial stages of play, the announced changes and subtle revolutions don’t significantly freshen up the gameplay experience. It might be necessary to construct walls and raise an army, but in the demo, militarism was more symbolic than practical. The game does feature deities and island specializations influenced by their cults, but the impact of these elements is minimal at first, growing as the game progresses.

For the initial hour, I chose to act as if I were still living during the industrial revolution, disregarding the news entirely and engaging in play instead. Remarkably, this approach worked quite well for me; I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything in terms of enjoyment. The habits I learned during that time allowed me to build the first island more quickly and establish a foothold on neighboring islands that held strategic resources.

If you’ve spent a considerable amount of time in Anno 1800, navigating through Anno 117 should be straightforward for you. This is because the fundamental gameplay, key mechanics, and construction of the world – featuring small islands rich in various resources, and a logistics system heavily dependent on seafaring transport – are similar to other parts of the series. If you’ve grasped these aspects while playing previous games, you’ll have no trouble finding your footing here.

Roadside amusements

One notable advancement demonstrated thus far is an inventive road system that offers more than just straight lines drawn from a ruler; it can also tilt at a 45-degree angle, which might seem insignificant to fans of games like Foundation where roads are naturally formed. However, in the context of Anno, this is quite significant as the series heavily relies on grids for construction, and in Anno 1800, I spent an unusual amount of time meticulously arranging buildings according to squares. While cities built in such a manner lack the realistic allure that captivated players in Manor Lords, this is due to the unique mechanics of Anno, which involves constructing hundreds of houses on islands, so some uniformity is actually beneficial for the player’s ease.

Introducing diagonal streets brings a significant shift, attracting players who’ve voiced concerns about overly structured street layouts being too “Manhattan-like.” These new diagonal paths bring an element of unpredictability and asymmetry to cities, making it easier to link points that were previously only reachable in a straight line. Furthermore, buildings can be rotated to suit these roads, enabling us to establish alternative grid systems and optimize the use of irregular spaces. Additionally, small vacant city areas can now be transformed into triangular road sections, enhancing the realism of our structures.

If we treat Anno similarly to StarCraft and aim to maximize efficiency by constructing the best structures as quickly as possible for a competitive edge, it’s likely that we’ll opt for the traditional square building blocks, replicating them across multiple islands.

Build a house, father a son, and plant a tree (of technology)

In developing Anno 117, the creators focused significantly on tailoring the gaming experience according to individual tastes, a point they highlighted in discussions and demonstrations. Consequently, one outcome of this choice is a technology tree that enables us to mold the game to suit our preferred play style.

The prediction is that there will be an overabundance of technology in this game. As suggested by its designers, only those players who are particularly persistent will manage to explore the entire tree, while more casual players might prefer focusing on a specific branch that caters best to their requirements. However, it’s challenging at this point to say for sure whether this prediction will hold true, since the initial stages of gameplay show technology development to be rather gradual.

Technologies are organized into three primary sections: economy, society, and military. There’s a wealth of opportunities to explore, and during discussions, developers highlighted that in traditional gameplay, players typically concentrate on mastering one of these areas. However, it’s possible to unlock all technologies; this challenge is intended for the most dedicated players who are prepared for an extended gaming experience.

When in fear, turn to God

Exploring the topic of deities and faith, we propose an intriguing concept: each of our islands could be dedicated to a chosen god, with the expectation that it would receive divine favor in return. In practice, this means that as the island grows, it will enjoy enhanced benefits for resource production, crop yield, or military power. Consequently, we can clearly define a specific role or function for each assigned island.

In the game, I encountered various deities, such as Mars, who represented military matters, Ceres tending to agricultural affairs, and Neptune overseeing marine activities. Additionally, Celtic gods were showcased, including Epona, associated with horseback riding, and Cernunnos, the Forest’s Horned Deity.

Although we didn’t get to physically explore Albion, the accounts of divine influences hinted at some secrets about the appearance of this world. Interestingly, it’s predicted that the beaver population may increase significantly due to the influence of Cernunnos.

When you choose a deity and consecrate your island to them, the faith points you accumulate will enhance the benefits of their blessings. For instance, Ceres might provide a steadily growing boost to agricultural output, along with an added population for every dwelling on the island.

At the beginning of the game, what you choose to specialize in isn’t crucial, but as your requirements expand, carefully selecting a specialization can greatly enhance your gaming experience. This is particularly important because no island has all the essential resources, so trading goods between islands will become necessary eventually.

They are coming by land, my lord

As a captivated enthusiast, what truly gripped my attention was the ability to manage ground forces, reminiscent of units you’d command at sea. It bore a resemblance to real-time strategy games in its execution, albeit with a unique twist. Regrettably, during the demo, I could only engage in recruiting troops, traversing land territories, and transport via ships. A full-blown battle scenario was not accessible for testing.

As a dedicated fan, I can’t help but feel a thrill at the prospect of this game-changer – it could truly flip things around! For years, constructing islands in Anno 1800 has been an almost guilt-free experience, with our ports serving as strongholds and our lands untouched by conflict. However, veterans who recall the epic land-based skirmishes of Anno 1404 are in for a special treat, as it seems we’ll be able to engage in land battles once more.

Now, instead of the traditional form seen in Anno 1404, fortifications and land forces are coming back, albeit with a twist. Generally speaking, this change brings about similar outcomes. Each island features multiple coastlines, making them potential landing spots for the enemy. This necessitates a new strategy for city construction and urban planning. Additionally, ground units are expected to be costly and promote military specialization among islands or even our entire faction.

As I delved into the demo, I found myself with the opportunity to enlist three unique types of combatants: Slingers, Auxilia, and the mighty Murmillo Gladiators. Each of these warriors possesses distinct abilities and vulnerabilities, excelling in various skirmishes against diverse adversaries. The cost of enrollment and upkeep also varied greatly – for instance, keeping light infantry in my ranks only set me back 60 coins, whereas the Murmillo Gladiators demanded a hefty 300!

Although the exact number of unit types yet to be disclosed remains unknown, it’s quite possible that cavlary will be among them, given the existing lineup, and this could potentially include a unit that Auxilia can counter efficiently.

The creators appear somewhat concerned about the mechanics being too subversive, as they might not suit fans who enjoyed less stressful building in the previous game installment. This is why they have been emphasizing that land battles are optional and solely up to the player’s choice during presentations and conversations. In other words, players will decide whether or not they want to engage in land battles. I hope this doesn’t lead to AI opponents being completely passive when it comes to land battles in the game.

And what’s under the hood of this chariot? 4080 horses and one donkey with reins

At this point, it’s challenging to accurately gauge the optimization of the game due to Ubisoft’s gaming rigs being furnished with RTX 4080 graphics cards, making them rather robust. However, during over three hours of seamless gameplay, without any lags, freezes, or crashes, the game’s performance is impressive and not something you can say about every contemporary title on the market.

In 4K resolution, the game ran flawlessly with maximum graphics settings. It’s unclear how less powerful GPUs will manage the game, or if performance problems might surface later on, especially during the heavily populated city-building phases that typically strain the CPU in such games. This aspect can only be confirmed closer to the release date, when we have access to the complete version of the game.

Currently, it appears to be robust and mostly devoid of major glitches or speed issues.

As you eat, your appetite increases, but will there just be an appetizer on the menu?

In the year 117, the task at hand won’t be an easy one. Similar to other games that revolve around a prolonged DLC strategy, the initial release might appear somewhat sparse in content – notably when stacked against a fully-fledged game like Anno 1800.

From the initial glance, it appears the quantity of content could be similar to the last installment. You’ll encounter two regions filled with numerous production chains, offering gameplay spanning several hours up to a dozen or so. It’s a solid foundation, but the true path to success seems to hinge on clear communication about expansion plans and prompt delivery of additional content.

It’s unclear at this point how many downloadable content packs are on the horizon or when they might be released, but it’s reasonable to expect that future content will maintain a structure similar to the previous version. This could involve additional regions being introduced, lengthening production lines, and incorporating new gameplay elements.

Conservative-Revolutionary Front

In the year 117, the game employs reliable methods to generate immersive gameplay with numerous interconnected production systems and intricate logistics. This necessitates strategic planning and crisis management from the player. The approach was highly successful in Anno 1800 and has been significantly adapted for use in Anno 117.

Both the divine system and the tech tree are delightful additions to the game, giving players the freedom to customize their gaming experience according to their tastes and make optimal use of the islands they’ve colonized. Diagonal roads, while a minor revolution in terms of functionality, are primarily aesthetically pleasing. Players more concerned with maximizing efficiency might still construct roads traditionally, but diagonal roads can offer a better fit on an irregular island.

One intriguing enigma revolves around ground conflicts and their influence on game mechanics. At present, developers have merely facilitated unit recruitment and navigation across the map, making it challenging to fully comprehend the system’s overall workings at this point in time.

At first glance, the beginning of this game appears similar to what we’re familiar with in Anno 1800, which has me wondering if Anno 117 will provide enough freshness in the end. Yet, as our empire progresses, it seems that unique mechanics may gradually shape the gameplay, setting it apart from what we’ve experienced in the past version. However, these are just assumptions based on the described elements – we’ll need to observe how things unfold in practice.

The debut of Anno 117 is merely the start, much like what transpired following the release of Anno 1800. Initially, the basic game may only encompass two regions and standard features. Yet, much like its predecessor, we can anticipate a variety of DLCs to emerge. These expansions are likely to introduce new environments, mechanics, and production chains as well.

2025-05-26 10:33