Anno 117: Pax Romana will be the eighth iteration of Ubisoft’s popular city-building series. Foccusing on Ancient Rome the game will explore a period of history long before any other in the series.
The most recent iteration, Anno 1800, saw the player build their city and civilisation through the Industrial Revolution, while the majority of other Anno titles also follow historical routes (including the original game, Anno 1602), two have taken futuristic approaches with the games 2070 and 2205.
Anno 117: What We Know So Far
We know that players will be able to dawn the toga of a Roman emporer and construct their idea of an ideal ancient city in two provinces of the empire: Latium, the region of Western Italy where Rome lays, and Albion, the Celtic land inspired by Great Britain. As the story progresses you must make your choices on how you wish to develop your civilisation, do you want to spread the culture of Rome, or return to the traditions of the Celts?
Staying true to the Anno model, the game will focus on construction and city-building rather than the combat and conquest focus of most Rome-focussed games.
Trailer and Release Date:
The trailer for Anno 117 revealed a series of interesting insights into the games story and new mechanics being introduced to the series.
We learn that players will follow the journey of a young governor tasked with rebuilding a region devastated by a natural disaster, turning the land into a bustling social and economic hub for the empire.
However, something’s goes wrong in your journey and you find yourself exiled to Albion, left in the unknown corner of the empire will you return to what you know and build your society around Roman tradition, or find new influence in the Celtic routes of the land you now preside over?
To help you along this journey, Ubisoft are launching a number of game-changing new mechanics and features.
One fans have long called for is modular ships, allowing a greater level of customisation in your naval units.
You must weigh up the pros and cons of adding the modules, for example oars may allow your ships more flexibility as they are no longer relying on the force or direction of the wind, but they require more supplies to feed the soldiers tasked with rowing and take up vital storage space.
While the game has a strong focus on story and world-building, players will still have the chance to choose how they wish to expand their influence: whether you want to build relations diplomatically and trade with your neighbours, or conquer their lands for yourself, Anno 117: Pax Romana is a city-building dream for history buffs.
The game will be available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S
