Anno 117: Pax Romana Reviews

A fantastic new entry into the Anno series, Anno 117: Pax Romana takes players back further than any game in the series. With deep, engaging mechanics, this is a must-play for both veterans of and newcomers to the franchise!

Anno 117: Pax Romana sees Ubisoft‘s long-running real-time strategy series enter a bold new era, winding back the clock by almost two thousand years when compared the most recent entry, Anno 1800. This leap back in time offers a whole new setting and aesthetic for the franchise compared to other instalments that have taken place during the late Medieval, Renaissance, and the Industrial Age, as well as those Anno games set in the near and distant future.

Anno 117: Pax Romana is a fantastic new entry in a relatively niche genre that offers more accessible gameplay without sacrificing the depth that the city-building genre is known (and loved) for.

Anno 117: Pax Romana is a more measured, relaxed city builder than its predecessor, operating on a smaller scale while reshuffling key elements of the series’ well-established formula to varying amounts of success. Both familiar and refreshing, it makes you think differently about how you build your cities.

For Anno fans, it's a must-have. For new players, this is a great chance to dive into the series - the fascinating ancient Rome setting and the deep mechanics make it totally worth pushing through the initial learning curve. Anno 117: Pax Romana will be consuming my time for weeks, months, maybe even years to come.

I can't help but compare Anno 117 to Anno 1800, which, after several years of chunky DLC, is one of the best and most complete city-builders of all time. Release-day Anno 117 was always going to feel slight by comparison. But I've already started four separate playthroughs focusing on different goods, and I've planned two more campaigns, including one where I'll build Rome's biggest ever naval fleet.

Rome is well-trod ground for games, but most of them are more like the HBO series Rome, focused on violence and chaos. You’ve got your Total Wars and your games about gladiators and your games about the myths and violence of Rome…but maybe what really gets your pulse racing is…aqueducts…city planning…architecture, yeah? Something for the true sophisticates.

Anno 117: Pax Romana takes the series into fertile new historical territory and is one of the best games in the Anno franchise, as well as being one of the most enjoyable city builder sims in recent memory. Polished, incredibly detailed, and beautiful to look at, Anno 117 hides imposing systems depth and complexity behind a relatively accessible interface. Like the Roman Empire itself, the game is a perfect platform for inevitable expansion. Meanwhile, there’s plenty of quality content for fans of the genre.

Anno 117 Pax Romana is a structurally sound colony builder set in a Romanized world filled with flair and gravitas. For those who struggle to find joy in expanding their influence, the busy UI may disrupt the experience and confuse. It’s a game designed for risk-takers who won't hesitate to make tough choices to reap the rewards of a tantalizingly broad array of intuitive city-building mechanics.

Anno 117: Pax Romana is a remarkably expansive game that I can sit and play for hours, even with its little notifications telling me to take a break. This is one of the best games I've played all year. There is a great deal of depth and customization that really showcases player choice and creativity, with an unbeatable replayability.

At its core a good Anno game, but it'll need a bit more polish and additional DLC content to compete with Anno 1800.

While not particularly revolutionary, there's a lot to like about Anno 117. If you get your teeth into the game's complexity, you'll find yourself investing a lot of time into spreading Roman ways across your islands and growing your settlements from tiny villages to grand cities.

Whether you're a series veteran or a newcomer, Anno 117: Pax Romana is a delightfully deep time-sink of a game. This gripping historical(ish) city-builder will have you hooked thanks to its complex drama and engrossing gameplay.

Anno 117: Pax Romana is a beautiful and refined city builder that’s almost impossible to put down. It’s more approachable than its predecessor and is full of quality of life changes that fans will love, but it undeniably lacks the same level of depth and complexity - especially if you’re starting out in the Albion setting.

Polished city-building that goes the extra mile to create character and meaning to your block-dropping feats.

Anno 117: Pax Roma delivers the same satisfying city-building loop as Anno 1800 but offers little innovation beyond a Roman skin. While still fun and deep for newcomers, veterans may find it more like a reskin. The PS5 version suffers from mediocre graphics, hard to navigate UI, and awkward controller support - but keyboard and mouse are supported. Good game, flawed console port.

Anno 117: Pax Romana is an excellent entry for newcomers, while also adding many features that will bring back the most die-hard fans of the series.

Ubisoft Mainz's good choices started early with Anno 117: Pax Romana. It picked the perfect time period to showcase the prime of Roman city building, and packaged that in a user-friendly way that has more depth than meets the eye. There are some pacing issues with the campaign, and I have questions about the longevity of single-player modes, but that does not take away from the fact that this is an excellent city builder that tells a Roman tale with the grandeur it deserves.

Anno 117: Pax Romana is a gorgeous antique city-builder that sucked me in for dozens of hours as I planned out my next district or simply watched the bustle along my aqueduct-accented boulevards.

Though not exactly gentle on new players, Anno 117: Pax Romana is not only one of the most stunning city-builders I have ever played, but it is also extremely rewarding.