Anno 117: Perfect for Those Fascinated by the Roman Empire

Sure thing, here goes:

Okay, so this whole “How Often Do You Think About the Roman Empire?” thing… if you were alive in 2023, you were probably caught up in it. I mean, it seemed like just another meme, but nope, turns out people are genuinely hooked. Who would’ve guessed, right? Anyway, Ubisoft Mainz saw their chance and dove right into this obsession with their latest creation, Anno 117: Pax Romana. Now you can stop daydreaming about the Roman Empire and actually start building one. Kinda cool, no?

So, I was reading this chat with Manuel Reihner—yeah, he’s the creative director of the game, the big-wig over at Ubisoft—and he’s like, “Rome’s been on our fandom wishlist forever.” Honestly, even the team wouldn’t shut up about it. Rome’s just got this unshakeable presence. Everywhere you look, Rome this, Rome that. It’s iconic.

Fast forward to Tuesday, and Ubisoft Mainz is out here showing off their gameplay. They even hosted this fancy preview in Rome’s Gardens of Sallust. Can you imagine? These gardens were once Caesar’s playground. I was like, “Wow, talk about setting the scene.”

Now, based on what’s been shown, Anno 117: Pax Romana looks like a real banger for the series. Anno 1800 was all about the Industrial Revolution and did pretty well—unlike some of those futuristic titles they tried. And here we are, going back 1,683 years. Wild, right? Speaking of which, there’s this juicy new feature: you can build diagonally. Forget the rigid 90-degree grids. Seriously, this change lets your city go all organic, with winding streets and farms tucked in every corner. It’s like doing urban planning with more flair, and I’m here for it!

But wait, there’s more. Production buildings now affect the nearby areas—buffs and debuffs included. Makes it more of a puzzle, you know? And they’re shaking things up with tech trees, citizen upgrades, expansion options, the whole shebang. It’s like they’ve packed everything fans were itching for. So maybe, just maybe, it’ll satisfy folks who just can’t get the Romans out of their heads.

The big news is that Anno 117: Pax Romana drops later this year on all the usual platforms: PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X. Until then, we wait… kinda impatiently, if you ask me. But hey, it’s the Roman Empire we’re talking about!