

I have just finished my second preview phase for *Anno 117: Pax Romana*, and surprisingly, I’m still not a master. I’m discovering that the *Anno* franchise has a way of humbling those who consider themselves connoisseurs of strategy or city-building games. With the game’s November launch approaching, I’ve invested another 10-15 hours into *Anno 117: Pax Romana*, and while I still wouldn’t call myself proficient, I’m eager to devote a hundred more hours.
To start, I played this game on both my [ROG Xbox Ally X](https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/hardware/rog-xbox-ally-x-handheld/) in docked mode and my PC equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce 4080 GPU. I’m continually amazed by the breathtaking visuals of *Anno 117: Pax Romana*. Even though the [Xbox Ally X](https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/hardware/rog-xbox-ally-handheld/) lacks some power, the game remains visually striking, but switching to PC for sandbox mode had me frequently zooming in to observe my little citizens at work. It doesn’t operate as smoothly on the handheld, yet it was more than adequate. If you have the chance to run *Anno 117: Pax Romana* at 4K, I highly suggest you do so.
I covered some fundamentals in my initial [preview of *Anno 117: Pax Romana*](https://www.cgmagonline.com/articles/previews/anno-117-pax-romana-hands-on/), so I recommend checking that out for more insights. You’ll find information about resource management, fulfilling your populace’s needs, and many of my early errors. In this preview session, I managed to engage more with the campaign and also enjoyed some time in sandbox mode, which has been incredibly enjoyable.
### “I am still in awe of how truly stunning Anno 117: Pax Romana is.”
Within the campaign, you are tasked with world-building while following a narrative, of course. You can choose to assume the role of Marcia Tertia, Decimus’s daughter, a reserved girl meant for marriage, or Marcus Naukratius, Decimus’s son, who finds himself working due to his rebellious nature. I chose to follow Marcia’s path, championing girl power!
Honestly, I was somewhat taken aback as I navigated the storyline in *Anno 117: Pax Romana.* I had anticipated some political elements, but there are sections that delve into pure soap opera theatrics! I won’t give away specific plot points, but it felt a bit exaggerated, and I’m not even far into the narrative yet. There’s a lot of intrigue surrounding Marcia’s storyline, and I am keen to uncover more.
However, it feels like the story is only partially integrated into the gameplay in *Anno 117: Pax Romana*. In Marcia’s case, there’s a quest that resembles someone repeatedly asking, “how about now?” Once you experience it, you’ll get what I mean. This occurs very early in the narrative, so hopefully, the quests will have greater significance as I progress. Only time will reveal that, and *Anno 117: Pax Romana* is sure to consume plenty of mine.
Sandbox mode is where I found myself wanting to invest the majority of my time in *Anno 117: Pax Romana*—and that’s not typical of me. Even without a defined story, the game still adheres to a clear progression path. You must collect wood to construct houses, which allows you to attract the initial group of villagers: the Liberti. After this, you need to satisfy their requirements to cultivate a thriving town, transitioning systematically from the lowest tier of villagers upward.
Houses upgrade to draw in new types of residents, the Plebeians. These individuals bring new needs, and the cycle continues. I had thought that playing through the campaign would offer the best learning experience, but in my case, sandbox mode accelerated my skills much quicker than the campaign in *Anno 117: Pax Romana.* In the same time frame spent on the campaign, I acquired about half the knowledge I gained in sandbox mode.
So, what did I gain from this? I suspect I’ve merely skimmed the surface. While I had a taste during my initial session with *Anno 117: Pax Romana,* this time I truly immersed myself in the game. During this period, I successfully established a town with hundreds of inhabitants and operations, built ships, explored new islands, initiated new settlements on those islands, and then mysteriously lost everyone on my first island because I forgot to pause. Lesson learned. We still have not
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