Anno 117: Pax Romana
Review
A Triumph of Trade and Tranquility
by William Thompson
reviewed on PC
At its heart, Anno 117 is a game about logistics, where the challenge quickly pivots from merely keeping the inhabitants fed to constructing a multi-island economic engine that can sustain a high-tier society.
The Engine of Empire
The economic loop in Anno 117 is arguably the best the series has produced, feeling both detailed and surprisingly streamlined. The basic process - taking primary goods and developing them into refined goods—is the foundational layer of the game. For example, turning grain into flour, and flour into bread, or lumber into tools, forms the backbone of the player’s income and expansion.
While the initial act of constructing each of the buildings is a simple process, merely clicking and placing the structure, the depth arrives in the strategic challenge of working out where to place each building so that it performs optimally is another story altogether. Optimal placement involves understanding influence zones, minimizing travel distance for goods, and, crucially, managing the complex routes between primary goods and developed goods. The elegance of the system is that this production of basic resources and improved items is quite streamlined; I found that there was rarely a point where I was scratching my head as to why a particular item wasn't being produced. The visual feedback is clear, and resource flow is easy to diagnose, allowing players to focus on the grander strategic picture rather than micromanaging every farm field.
The true genius of the economic system, however, lies in the citizen upgrade path, which acts as a powerful lever for both wealth and challenge. Citizens are dynamic entities who 'upgrade,' or move up the social ladder, when placed near basic necessities, and then luxuries. This tiered progression is the primary source of wealth in the game. Naturally, the higher classes will create more wealth, generating significant tax revenue needed for large-scale projects and military upkeep. However, they will not complete the more menial tasks required for the city (or cities) to thrive. This creates a perpetual balancing act with your population. Too many nobles and your farms lie fallow; too many laborers and your tax income stagnates. Maintaining a stratified but balanced society across your provinces is the defining strategic imperative.
The Art of Commerce
If production is the heart of the empire, trade is its massive, sprawling circulatory system. This is where Anno 117 truly shines, featuring a deeply detailed trade system that elevates the gameplay from a static city builder to a dynamic, inter-regional logistics simulator.
Trade is a massive focus, especially between your various locations. It enables production to continue even if one island does not have access to a particular resource. Finding a suitable island for iron, another for grapes, and a third for marble, and then knitting them together into a coherent supply chain, is the ultimate goal. These production chains are the key to a thriving community because no single island can produce everything needed for the highest citizen tiers.
The implementation of trade routes is brilliant, transforming the map into a network that feels remarkably real, yet manageable. Setting up a route gives a definite 'Railroad Tycoon' feel, as individual ships are required to trade an item with a particular destination. You aren't just clicking a button and seeing goods appear; you are assigning a physical vessel to a specific itinerary, deciding what it loads, where it drops it off, and what it picks up next. These ships are tangible assets, making the risks and rewards of trade feel immediate and impactful.
In a clever quality-of-life decision, the warehouses seem to have some sort of teleport feature, letting players immediately transport their goods to a waiting ship or a building that requires the goods. While perhaps not realistic, this eliminates tedious internal transport micromanagement, keeping the focus on the grand strategy of inter-island supply rather than the minute-by-minute movement of handcarts within a single town.
Gorgeous Visuals and Auditory Immersion
Anno 117 is, simply put, a beautiful game. The developers have leveraged the setting to create some of the most stunning visuals in the genre. The attention to detail in the gorgeous day and night cycles is phenomenal. I can attest that I could sit back and watch the sun set over the mountains all day. The lighting shifts are dynamic and atmospheric, turning a sprawling city from a bustling hub in daylight to a warmly lit beacon at night. This visual fidelity is more than aesthetic; it's immersive. You watch the citizens go about their business, moving their goods to the local warehouses, adding life and credence to the complex system you've built.
The immersion is further enhanced by the audio landscape. The wonderful soundtrack is suitably epic and calming when appropriate, but the sound design team deserves special recognition for the subtle yet effective details. From the crash of thunder during a storm to the sound of the ropes pulling on your ships as they dock, these elements ground the player firmly in the maritime world of the Roman era. The fully voiced dialogue for the various characters in the campaign also adds a welcome layer of personality to the proceedings.
Conflict and the Campaign Path
While the game is heavily focused on economics, conflict is an inevitable reality. Things start out peaceful, but as is the case with human history, this all changes.
The primary threat comes from the sea, where sea-based combat features quite heavily—and is particularly important for your sea-based trade routes. Unsurprisingly, pirates do like the sight of an unguarded trade ship, especially one that is clearly weighed down with valuable cargo. A strong navy is therefore not a luxury, but a necessity, acting as the ultimate guarantor of your economic prosperity.
Ground-based combat features as well, but is less important if your navy is doing its job and protecting your shores. Once you do enter the land-based combat, it relies on a simple rock/paper/scissors mechanic, which is a fitting abstraction for a game that prioritizes macro-logistics over tactical squad maneuvers. It is effective without distracting from the core city-building loop.
The story plays out nicely, but is more important as a pseudo tutorial, showing players the ropes as they progress across the various locations. It is designed to lead you gently from one challenge to the next, encouraging you to move on to new lands, full of different citizens and new resources. For my first playthrough as Marcia, I did find it slightly strange that the narrative didn't make a bigger deal out of the core mystery, noting that nobody really picked up on the fact that [spoiler alert] her husband was dead when no-one has seen him for ages. This minor narrative oversight, however, doesn't detract from the effectiveness of the campaign as a comprehensive learning tool for the complex mechanics.
"After the Rise comes the fall"
Anno 117: Pax Romana is a resounding success. It maintains the dizzying complexity Anno fans crave but packages it within an elegantly streamlined system and a truly mesmerizing aesthetic. The economic juggling act between class needs and production chains is deeply rewarding, and the management of trade routes is an engrossing sub-game in itself. For players seeking a sophisticated, visually stunning simulation that demands strategic patience and logistical prowess, your new empire awaits.
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8.5
fun score
Pros
Gorgeous visuals, streamlined economic system
Cons
Marcia's story is a bit strange
