Anno 117: Pax Romana Hands-on Preview - For the Glory of Rome
I love a good city builder. From my earliest days with SimCity through to my undying devotion to the Tropico franchise, I have always found something in the genre that speaks to me. Perhaps it is the chill pace, the careful planning or the satisfaction of success, but for whatever reason, I have always sought out the genre and enjoyed it thoroughly. That said, one series that I have always floated by is the Anno franchise. Up until the last game, I had never played a game in the franchise; it had somehow always passed me by. But I dabbled in the console version of Anno 1800 and found a game that I could really sink my teeth into, so when Anno 117 was announced, I wasn’t going to miss the boat again. Thankfully, Ubisoft made sure that didn’t happen and gave me access to a preview build so I could determine once and for all if it is a franchise for me. Turns out, that I think I have been really missing out for all of these years.
For those that don’t know, Anno is a city builder that incorporates industry, combat, trade and exploration in a historical setting. Anno 117 is set during the Roman Empire and sees players taking a Roman outpost and making it a bustling centre for trade and commerce. It is a simple concept for the genre, but one that feels like it has been pulled off perfectly here. I was drawn in by the clean and appealing graphical style and the surprisingly great voice acting from support characters who hand out quests and give game advice. It is clear that a lot of effort has been put into the presentation of the game, and there is no denying that it gives off a great first impression.
The other major element that helped get me through the door is the excellent learning tools included in the game. City builders can be notoriously heavy when it comes to mechanics to learn and concepts to grasp, and Anno 117 is no different. Thankfully, the game comes with a wonderful tutorial and alert system that makes it super easy to see what needs to happen and what is going wrong with the settlement. On more than one occasion, I thought I was doing everything right, but my economy was flailing until my handy guide popped up and reminded me to build a warehouse or connect the road network properly. It is these handy hints (that never get in the way, so fret not, franchise old heads) that helped me really get the hang of the game in no time at all.
The game can be played in two main modes. The Campaign, of which there are two fully voiced stories to complete, and the traditional sandbox mode, where players can have at it and build to their heart’s content. In a lot of ways, the campaign further helps to solidify the game’s concepts for players, acting like a grand tutorial for the sandbox mode. I am enjoying the first story, which involves a hastily married-off young lady who is thrust into the role of leader at her new home. It is a simple story, but it is being told with verve as it guides me through the different pillars of the Anno franchise. I am actually keen to see how the story plays out, something I can’t say for many of the city builders I have played in the past.
If I do have any concerns with the game, it is that the UI can be quite complicated. Granted, that will likely become less of an issue as I play more of the game and get used to where things hide, but at the moment, I feel like I am fumbling a lot. It feels like certain things are hidden behind other menus, and that makes the task of locating key features tougher than it should be. I suspect, though, that my troubles also come about because the menus and UI are quite different to what I am used to in the genre, so my prior learning may be doing me a disservice. I also worry that the console versions are going to be quite janky as far as navigating these menus is concerned. There are a lot of them, so hunting through with radial menus may get clumsy and frustrating. Hopefully, that is taken into account when the game hits our consoles.
Those slight UI concerns aside, I have to say I am more than excited to keep my journey with Anno 117 going. It feels like it has the right mix of strategy, presentation and skill to form a top-tier city builder that can consume endless hours of players’ lives as they quest for the perfect settlement.
Anno 117: Pax Romana will launch on November 13 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series. Stay tuned for more on the game as we get closer to release.
