Anno 117: Pax Romana – Building an Empire, One Roman Brick at a Time

Okay, gamers, let’s talk about a city builder hitting the scene that’s got us hyped: Anno 117: Pax Romana. If you’ve been living under a rock (or perhaps just haven’t dipped your toes into the glorious world of the Anno series yet), these games are all about getting down and dirty with the nitty-gritty of city-building, production chains, and sometimes, a little bit of naval exploration. Following up on the absolute smash hit that was Anno 1800, this new entry takes us way back in time.

The buzz around Anno 117 really kicked off at a preview event held in Rome itself – yeah, seriously, in the actual Gardens of Sallust. Pretty epic setting for a Roman-themed game reveal, right? Apparently, sitting among the ancient brickwork, the game just felt right. It looks like Ubisoft Mainz, the masterminds behind the series, have really nailed the core Anno loop: planning your city layouts, optimising your production lines to keep those citizens happy and producing, and sending out ships to explore and trade. If you dug that flow in 1800, prepare for more of the same satisfying goodness.

But here’s the million-denarii question: Is Anno 117 going to be more than just 1800 dressed up in a toga? The devs definitely hope so. According to Manuel Reihner, the Creative Director, bringing Anno to Rome has been a wish list item for both the fans and the development team for ages. Rome is just one of those iconic settings, like feudal Japan for Assassin’s Creed. It’s instantly recognisable and packed with history.

More Than Just a Reskin? The Roman Twist on Anno Mechanics

Anno 1800 had a secret weapon: the industrial revolution. Building a city in that game felt like watching history unfold. You started with humble farming villages and ended up with sprawling metropolises powered by factories and railways. It wasn’t just cool because of the setting; the setting drove the game’s mechanics and progression.

Ancient Rome definitely saw massive changes over its thousand-year reign, but maybe not the lightning-fast technological leaps of the 19th century. Ubisoft Mainz is upfront about this; Anno 117 won’t replicate that radical technological sprint. Game Director Jan Dungel clarifies that the goal isn’t to fully replace that aspect. Instead, the Roman setting offers different opportunities for mechanical depth.

So, how does Anno 117 capture the Roman vibe mechanically? The overall goal is to put you in the shoes of a Roman governor. You’re tasked with building up a new province, making it a productive and thriving part of the Empire after some kind of natural disaster (because apparently Rome had disaster relief programs too, just with more sandals). Initially, the gameplay feels very familiar if you’ve played 1800.

You build residences to house your workers and production buildings to provide them with the goods and services they need. Setting up these chains often involves multiple steps, with resources shuffling between different buildings until the final product reaches your citizens’ homes. And just like in classic Anno, happy citizens paying their taxes means more income for you. Simple, elegant, and endlessly addictive.

Keeping the Plebs Happy: The Intricacies of Roman Needs

Anno wouldn’t be Anno without different population tiers, and Anno 117 brings the Roman classes to life. Your lowest rung citizens, the Liberti, are pretty easy to please. Give them some porridge and sardines (yum?), a basic tunic, a sheepskin cap, and a nearby tavern, and they’re basically living the dream. Seriously, they think this is peak luxury.

But satisfy your Liberti, and they can upgrade to Plebs. These guys are *way* more demanding. They want bread, which means you need farms, granaries, and bakeries. They want to wash with lavender soap – get those lavender fields and rendering plants going! They even want to read, requiring you to build a Grammaticus (basically, a school). And for the real status symbols, they demand exotic goods like olive oil. This is where the Anno multi-island gameplay kicks in. You’ll often need to claim distant islands with the right resources, set up secondary settlements, and establish trade routes to get those fancy goods back to your main province.

Watching your modest settlement grow into a bustling Roman center, with all these interconnected buildings and trade networks, is incredibly satisfying. Every building serves a purpose that *you* defined. It’s not like the automated zones of some city builders; you’re the architect of every single piece of the puzzle.

Location, Location, Location: New Building Perks and Planning Depth

While the core loop feels familiar, Anno 117 introduces some pretty significant tweaks. One subtle but major change is how building placement affects your economy. In previous Anno games, you mostly just wanted production buildings near their resources or a warehouse. Now, buildings have immediate zone-of-effect bonuses (and sometimes penalties) on nearby structures.

Take the spinner, which makes those humble hemp tunics for your Liberti. Place one within a dense residential area, and it gives an automatic income bonus to surrounding residences. This totally changes how you think about city layout. You’re not just creating segregated production districts anymore; mixing things up can give you a tactical edge and boost your income significantly. Manuel Reihner says this feature was added to encourage players to get more creative with their city designs and make the residential areas more strategically interesting.

It’s not just about boosting income, either. Some buildings have both positive and negative effects. The soap maker, for instance, improves public health (yay, hygiene!) but decreases nearby happiness (boo, it stinks!). These effects aren’t just cosmetic; low public health can lead to disease outbreaks, and unhappy citizens might decide they’ve had enough and revolt. This system adds a layer of tactical depth that makes planning your layout even more crucial.

Innovations Beyond the City Walls: Research, Military, and Albion

Beyond smart building placement, Anno 117 brings in a new research tree, letting you unlock new technologies across three tracks: economic, civic, and military. Your research speed is linked to knowledge, initially generated by residences near the Grammaticus. But unlock the right tech, and suddenly those spinners also generate knowledge, speeding up your research even further! It’s all about finding synergies between different parts of your empire.

The military track hints at another returning and potentially expanded feature: land combat. Even though “Pax Romana