At this point, Ubisoft's ANNO 117 Pax Romana might be one of the wedges that dedicate part of my brain to 4X games. I absolutely adore the game's focus on optimization, development and all in all just building your ideal utopia.

What I didn't expect, however, after spending more time on it, was just how damn funny the game would be.

The Infamous Roman Wet Cat

During the campaign, you play as Governor Naukratius, a fairly young Roman suddenly appointed to be governor with no real qualification other than being too scared to say no to Emperor Lucius, the world's worst boss. The game's entire first act is Lucius just pushing you around, from extorting you for money on a whim to ranting at you about his plans to make his wife succeed him if he dies (Romans, you see, were progressive on a lot of things but drew the line at a lady emperor, even if she had the royal bloodline).

There's just something so charming about how miserable Marcus Naukratius is. He's so... pathetic. He spends the whole first act scared he'll be "found out" for being an impostor and, to his credit, it happens. After Lucius drops dead (there was a bottleneck on his Life Production Chain, you see) and a new Emperor is appointed, you're so pathetic that rather than kill you on the spot the new Emperor ships you off to Albion thinking it'd be funnier to have you manage ledgers in the marshlands.

It's a very dry sense of humor- your aide, Ben-Baalion freaking out that he's now been shipped out to the backwater by association, the fact Marcus seems genuinely happier either because he's out of Rome or because Lucius is dead, the fact that no one actually cares about Roman patriotism- everyone just wants to balance their books and do their jobs. Its weirdly endearing, even if half the characters make Marcus whimper and cry.

Playing With My Model City

Of course, I wouldn't say to get into this game just for the sense of humor. Because on top of that Anno 117 Pax Romana is also an incredible city builder. It's all about managing your supply chains- people have needs and that means it's your job to make it. People like eating eels? Make sure to setup an Eel Farm in your marshes.

But where the game really shines is when the game starts limiting your option. In the Albion chapter, you're constantly presented with this thanks to the branching trees- citizens can become either Romanized or stick to their Celtic roots, with different products tied to different trees.

Better yet, it's the marshes themselves that force you to rethink your supply line. Buildings like Ochs farms can only be built in the marshes- while others like the building to turn Ochs into Cheese can only be built on solid ground. You might think this dooms you to minute-long transport times, but thankfully, the shared resources between warehouses makes this all the easier to manage.

There's just something so satisfying about planning your city right, specifically because of how the game pushes back against you. I've started building the entertainment areas like Markets first, then building the houses around it for maximum effect. Charcoal plans and woodcutters can now be incredibly far away as long as you master the art of warehouse-fu.

Even the game's combat is more about logistics. You won't be doing Micro like its Brood War or anything, instead a lot of the combat feels more about just having the numbers on your opponent. Unfortunately armies are expensive from a manpower perspective, so you either need to start pausing production on your buildings to afford the manpower to make more soldiers or basically open a whole new borough and cram it full of people just to afford your next group of archers.

While externally, I am being threatened by other kingdoms in Albion and berated by my Emperor, in my soul I have never felt more free. I am limited only by the resources of individual islands and the limits of my budget as I try to win the approval of the Scathach so their leader doesn't give me a wedgie or something.

Anno 117 Pax Romana Verdict

If you like city builders, I can't recommend ANNO 117 Pax Romana enough. It's complex and rich in a really uncompromising way, forcing you to engage with all its systems if you want to keep afloat. Weapons, for example, are something you'll almost exclusively get from scavenging wrecks or trading with other settlements until the game unlocks settling on more islands for you.

Even if you're not in it for the story, the game's sandbox and multiplayer modes mean you can just keep playing with your building blocks and watching the good numbers go up. Even the campaign can be played in three player co op, though I personally didn't get to try that out myself.

While many games now chase engagement with flashy visual stimulus and explosions, it's great to see ANNO 117 Pax Romana stick to the basics of endorphin highs that have kept us enthralled since the Roman empire- watching numbers go up.

Final Score: 9/10