The latest main installment in the series, Year 117: Pax Romana comes sizzling, turning back the clock some 1,700 years earlier than its predecessor and transporting us to the semi-mythical lands of antique Rome.
It is based on a formula perfected by Anna 1800arguably the best title in the series and doesn’t fall far from the tree. It has all the recognizable and established gameplay elements, with some tweaks and simplifications that make the early and mid game more bearable, as well as a huge leap into the past that lends itself beautifully to a unique and different style of city building.
Anna 117 is a major achievement from Ubisoft Mainz and will be playable for many years to come, just like its older brothers.
Here’s our full review.
Hail Caesar!
Year 117: Pax Romana The action takes place in the semi-fictional Roman Empire, where you become the governor of two emerging provinces, Albion and Latium. One lies on the fringes of the Empire, now at the height of its power, while the other lies at the heart of Europe’s boot.
Their geographical differences are reflected in their cultures as Anna 117 allows you to build Celtic, Roman or Celto-Roman settlements and cities, either sticking to the traditions of a given country or mixing cultures to create something completely fresh.
This level of dynamics and player agency is a direct improvement Anna 1800which did not offer a choice of national and cultural heritage, and also increased the level of repetition and differentiation between each settlement. Some of your Albion islands may be true to nature and follow druidic customs, while not far from the sea there is a real Roman theater where dramas take place on a vast stage surrounded by the scent of olives and wine.
Romans also like cheese and beer, so another city could consist of both Romans and Celts living side by side in a more hopeful universe, since such intermingling in the region was rarer than diamond in our war-torn history.
Duality also appears in the campaign, where you can play either Marcia, the governor’s wife, who experienced a dramatic turn of events, or Marcus, a man who was unexpectedly given the position of governor and who chose a strange path. This reflects Ubisoft’s desire to provide both a male and female main character, similar to several other Assassin’s Creed games did.
It’s good to have choices and I wholeheartedly support this approach.
The plot isn’t that great though, but it does have a proper narrative arc with broadly drawn characters and stories that are often intriguing. Marcia’s story in particular deals with some pretty earnest themes, while the overall narrative has plenty of twists, great cutscenes, and compelling characters that push the plot forward, even if it’s not the main part of the game.
I’ve never been a fan of history Anna or similar games, but it is still an option for those who want to learn the basics before jumping into the actual game, i.e. sandbox mode.
It’s Anna – and that means comfort
The gameplay itself is largely what you’d expect Anna: you get a starting island, some money and the dream of turning the wilderness into an urban center of culture and commerce. You travel through different types of populations, meeting their needs, producing the goods they want, and keeping them elated.
You also get two full provinces to play in the sandbox, each with its own set of rivals and islands, as well as unique products.
Other rival nations do the same, which can lead to diplomacy and trade or outright war and conflict.
Nothing in Anna 117 drastically different from 1800 or other games in the series, as Ubisoft Mainz tried to stay true to the formula and only change certain production pipelines, allowing easier access to resources for your island. Moreover, there is no dramatic raise in population decline or financial crashes that in Anna 1800 can complete an entire run in a matter of minutes.
Making money is much easier, maintaining elated pops is also streamlined, and progress is much smoother and more direct, if not faster than in 1800. This is a good way to make the game more accessible to newbies and allows for better city building rather than managing the economy which is never really a part of Anna experience.
You can build amazing things in this game, which is largely enhanced by sensational assets that are some of the best in the franchise’s history. From aqueducts to theaters to coliseums, the buildings look phenomenal and add a sense of majesty to your settlements, unlike most other structures in the series.
I would even go as far as to say that you can create the prettiest cities Anna history and I can’t wait to see what people much more innovative than me come up with.
One main die to choose from that I had Anna 117 is that fertility on the islands is often so scarce that searching for extra (which often turns out to be unbearably pricey) is more irritating than fun. Sure, it’s all fun and games to find one or two closer islands to employ for, say, herbs, but if you have to do it to meet almost every need from level two onwards, it becomes a pain.
Additionally, some resources can only be produced in a specific province, meaning they cannot be obtained in other provinces except for export. Setting up shop in a completely different location is annoying to say the least and requires a lot of effort for something so insignificant.
It didn’t seem very fun to me, but it made sense and gave me a purpose to expand my influence into the provinces. It wasn’t much different with the exact same mechanics as the others Anna games, so I think everything’s fine.
Generally, Anna 117 Is Anna it’s more than just a name, and if you come later, you’ll feel right at home 1800, 1404or other. It’s a good game with great mechanics from its predecessors that haven’t aged one bit, and you can expect an amazing experience that’s sure to only get better as Ubisoft inevitably expands it with more content and DLC.
