Anno 117: Pax Romana is far from the first of its kind. A top-down city builder that puts you in the calceus of one of Rome's trusted Governors, you play to expand your empire by harvesting supplies, building things with those supplies, and amassing armies to defend your ever-growing city. Stop me if you've played this one before.
So it speaks volumes that, despite a formula we've seen time and again, Anno 117: Pax Romana kept pulling me back in for more.
By the time I had finished my allotted preview playtime, I was disappointed I couldn't stick around for just one more act. There's so much to explore here, and while there is a definite learning curve to overcome and a few pain points to address, it has that "just a few more minutes" gravity that I love about this genre.
Laying the groundwork
Act 1, parts one and two, are all about familiarizing yourself with the controls, shaking some hands, and laying the groundwork for what will soon be a sprawling Roman enclave.
But, first things first, you get to choose your fully voice-acted character. This is a new addition to the Anno series, and while I can't say I was totally invested in the dialogue at all times, I did appreciate having a main character and central storyline to follow.
It serves as a linear guide hand while you design your city however you wish, striking an enjoyable balance between specific objectives and creative liberty.
There are two main characters here, Marcus Naukratius and Marcia Tertia - since I share a first name with the former, I went with him.
After the opening cutscene rolls, briefly describing the current situation in your neck of the Roman empire, you take control of your Governor and are tasked with gathering basic materials like fish and timber to start your settlement.
As for actually building the structures that generate resources ("Production buildings"), you get a toolbar at the bottom of your screen with several different menus, including the Build menu. These can be overwhelming at first, and I did find myself in the wrong menu at times.
Once you select what type of structure you want to build, such as something from the lumber industry, a grid will appear on the ground. If you're already familiar with city builders, you'll recognize this as your building grid. Place a structure near the resources required, connect it to your settlement's trading post (which acts as the main hub for commerce), and watch as your loyal citizens do your bidding.
Since city building is the heart of Anno 117, it has to get this grid system right if the game has any chance of being fun in my eyes. Thankfully, it's pretty polished and intuitive.
You can rotate buildings, snap them to roads, and tooltips will appear based on the bonuses or disadvantages certain buildings give to others in their proximity. You can also pick up and move buildings without penalty, which I found to be a very useful quality of life buff.
The more you play, the more you unlock. There are research trees to explore, religious buffs to choose from, and all kinds of new buildings to discover.
And your settlement is far from being the only inhabitant in the area. Using your ship, you can sail the seas in search of new land, resources, enemies, and allies.
Et tu, Brute?
Part 3 of Act 1 advances the storyline rather quickly. While you had only your city's growth to worry about before, a terrible tragedy now grips the hearts of Romans far and wide: the emperor is dead.
He was slain by a slave at his daughter's birthday party, and now some unruly aggressors move in to seize the throne.
You relinquish your former flagship as property of the new Roman empire, take the fallen emperor's remains to the ruins of an old amphitheater for a ceremony, and face exile to Albion as you try to find a way to put things right.
This is where my preview playtime ended. Looking back on my time in Anno 117: Pax Romana, I'm excited to play it again on full release come November 13.
It has a considerable learning curve, and the dialogue isn't always the most enthralling, but I would rank it highly among the city builders I've played in recent times. I can easily see myself sinking hours into late-night sessions with this game, ramping up my resource production, and turning land into an empire.
However, it does take some time to get off the ground. If you just want to jump into a game and have a great time from the moment you press "play," Anno 117 wouldn't be my first recommendation. It needs some time to cultivate and grow on you - but when it does, you'll be hooked.
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