Ubisoft’s Anno 117 is a peaceful experience. During my entire three-hour hands-on preview, I didn’t train a single unit or do much more than sink an already-wrecked ship off the coast of my island. My demoist did say military mechanics hadn’t been properly implemented yet, but even so, that you could largely choose to play Anno 117 as a peaceful Roman city-builder is something quite special.
Pax Romana – or the “peace in Rome” – was a period of roughly 200 years largely considered a Roman golden age, which spanned five Emperors from Augustus to Marcus Aurelius between 27 BCE and CE 180. While there were still conflicts – including several revolts and a war with Parthia – it is still considered a much more peaceful age than the years directly succeeding it. This fits with the general vibes of Anno 117 much more than, say, the sacking of Carthage, or the invasion of Britain. However, you can visit Celtic-inspired lands if you want to.
While I eventually like to challenge myself as much as possible in these games – with the hardest starts and ultra-aggressive AI – the first few hours should always be played slowly, taking in the music, art design, and overall zen of a classic Anno title. On this front, Anno 117 is excellent.
Roman Empire-Building Across Islands
Developed by Ubisoft Blue Byte, Anno 117 is the furthest back the series has gone in history. While the aesthetics have changed, the formula is still the same and what we’ve come to expect from Anno. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. You get what you expect when you pick up an Anno game, and long may that continue.
There are multiple islands to colonize, AI players to trade with, and sophisticated production lines to manage. We’ve seen this all before, and it’s as reliably enjoyable as any other Anno game before it. However, I’d say that while Anno has never really been historically accurate, it does sort of feel like the Roman Empire is being crammed into the Anno formula here. There were plenty of islands in the empire, but I’m not sure the Chinese Silk Road traders had anything to do with them. I’m fine with a bit of historical leniency, though; it is a video game after all.
You start out small with a villa and some simple wood production. You use this to build homes for your first tier of citizens, the Liberti. Then you need to feed them with oats and fish. To expand, you’ll need to clothe them with felt hats and tunics. After that, it’s time to upgrade your homes, making space for more advanced citizens, and so the pattern continues. It’s satisfying and gets increasingly more complex as time goes on.
Production Queues And Jars Of Olive Oil
I had to restart once during my play session because I expanded far too quickly, and the cost of my production buildings far outweighed the taxes I was earning from my citizens. In my second attempt, it went much, much better, as I established some early trade with the AI and built up a very large Liberti population before attempting to upgrade and build more complex production lines for things like Sandals, Soap, and Olive Oil.
In true Anno fashion, the biggest challenge is simply how restricted you are on space. None of my islands were particularly well-optimized (give me a chance, I only just started playing), and I had to expand to a neighboring island to harvest Olives as my starting island had no fertility for them. Of course, to transport the Olives back to my main island to feed my hungry population Olive Oil, I needed ships, and to build ships I needed sails, and for sails I needed Hemp production. You know how it works.
Your main antagonist is the slave trader, a hostile AI that will attack your ships. I didn’t delve too far into this mechanic, but I assume it’s the main focus of conflict (even in peaceful runs), as your citizens, the Liberti, are essentially freed slaves. You don’t partake in the slave trade yourself.
I think it’s a testament to the simplistic design formula of Anno that this is still an enjoyable experience, even after playing essentially the same game several times over. Old fans of Anno will find a lot to like in the newest version of the game, and the Pax Romana is a strangely fitting time for a peaceful island-builder.