As someone who sunk an embarrassing number of hours into Anno 1404 and 1800, seeing Ubisoft drop proper gameplay for Anno 117: Pax Romana at the Find Your Next Game conference did more than tickle the history nerd in me. The pitch is strong: govern Rome’s heartland of Latium or push into the misty wetlands of Albion, juggle Romanization versus local customs, construct grand cities, and deal with “permanent” consequences. It’s classic Anno logistics with a fresh era-and a few ambitious promises that need scrutiny.
On the city-building front, this is unmistakably Anno. Terracotta roofs, forums and bathhouses, tight city blocks stitched together by paved roads-the Roman vibe reads immediately, while the camera lingers on bustling citizens doing the Anno thing: market chatter, kids sprinting through alleys, laborers hauling goods. The scale looks generous, with space to design proper districts instead of mashed-up grids. That matters because Anno lives and dies by legibility—if I can read production chains at a glance and route carts cleanly, I’m in.
The real hook is the cultural duality. In Latium, you lean into Roman norms; in Albion, you can enforce Roman law or bend toward local Celtic traditions. Ubisoft frames this as a choice with systemic consequences for happiness, productivity, and diplomacy. If they pull it off, we get more than different skins—we get divergent economies and social pressure that force you to govern, not just optimize spreadsheets. The footage hints at festivals, rites, and religious flavor that grant bonuses. The question is whether those perks are meaningful (shaping logistics and policy) or just “+5% output” tooltips you forget exist after hour five.
“Permanent consequences” is the other big phrase. Anno campaigns traditionally let you bulldoze, pivot production chains, and repair relationships over time. If Anno 117 makes certain policy paths truly sticky—locking in architectural styles, migration flows, or faction alliances—that could add gravity to early decisions and boost replay value. I’m into that idea, provided it doesn’t punish experimentation in a way that forces restarts. Let us commit, but give enough systemic levers to adapt when a province surprises us.
Anno 1800 leaned on naval battles with light expedition flavor; land combat largely lived outside direct control in modern entries. Anno 117’s pitch includes strategic land and naval engagements. If those battles are fully playable, that’s a genuine evolution. But it raises design questions: How granular is unit control? Do we get formations, terrain bonuses, and pause-at-will tactics, or is it more abstract? And crucially, does combat complement logistics instead of hijacking the loop? I’d love a system where a supply-starved legion crumbles because my trade routes failed, not because I misclicked a charge.
Also, diplomacy and unrest need teeth. If steamrolling a province triggers rebellion or economic collapse, I’ll think twice before marching. The series is at its best when force, trade, and politics form a triangle—push one side, the others bend.
Blue Byte knows this sandbox. Anno 1404 nailed historical flavor; Anno 1800 delivered a deep, stylish economy and then grew it with substantial post-launch content. The flip side is the monetization pattern: multiple season passes and cosmetic packs. Most of 1800’s DLC meaningfully expanded systems, but the nickel-and-dime cosmetics fatigue was real. Expect a similar model here—just give us a complete base game and be upfront about the roadmap. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are Ubisoft DLC plans.
Another point: interface and performance on console. Anno 1800’s console edition was surprisingly solid, but dense UIs and intricate trade routes still shine brightest with a mouse. If Anno 117 is launching day-and-date on PS5 and Xbox Series, the team needs rock-solid controller mapping for trade routes, production overviews, and regional governance screens. Without that, Albion’s “mysterious wetlands” become “mysterious menu mazes.”
Rome in 117 AD is a sweet spot: massive bureaucracy, layered cultures, thriving trade corridors, and a frontier that actually pushes back. That’s catnip for Anno’s strengths. Latium is your controlled testbed; Albion is your noisy stress test. If Ubisoft leans into that contrast—different building sets, governance tools, and public order challenges—we might get two distinct play styles in one campaign, not just two maps with new trees.
Anno 117: Pax Romana looks like the most ambitious historical Anno in years, with culture systems and potential land battles that could meaningfully evolve the formula. The footage sells the fantasy; now Ubisoft needs to prove those “permanent consequences” are real, combat serves the economy, and console UI won’t buckle under complexity. If they hit those marks on November 13, 2025, city-builder fans are eating well.
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