Anno 117: Pax Romana Review Summary

Enjoyable gameplay and aesthetics: Players find the game fun and visually appealing, with enjoyable gameplay mechanics and beautiful graphics. The Roman aesthetic and detailed city-building elements are particularly appreciated.

Improvements over previous versions: Players note that the game is an improvement over previous versions, particularly Anno 1800. The game is seen as more user-friendly and enjoyable.

Mod support and community: The game benefits from mod support, which enhances the gameplay experience. The mod community is active and contributes to the game's potential to surpass older titles.

Future updates and DLCs: Players are looking forward to future updates and DLCs, which are expected to bring new content and enhancements to the game.

Complex yet accessible gameplay: The game is complex but not overcomplicated, offering a deep and satisfying experience. Players appreciate the intricate details and the ability to customize their gameplay.

Campaign is weak and unfinished: The campaign mode is described as boring, unengaging, and abruptly ending without a clear narrative. It feels incomplete and lacks depth compared to previous installments.

Game is unfinished and buggy: The game is perceived as unfinished and riddled with bugs, including fatal bugs, crashes, and various technical issues that hinder gameplay. Many features are reported as not working properly, and the game often feels incomplete.

Poor performance and optimization: Players experience significant performance issues, including lagging, stuttering, and long loading times. The game's optimization is criticized, leading to a poor gaming experience.

Connection and access issues: Players face connection issues, including problems with Ubisoft Connect, cloud saves, and accessing the game despite purchasing it. These issues prevent smooth gameplay and cause frustration.

Game balance and mechanics: The game's balance and mechanics are reported as flawed, with issues in late-game balance, land combat, and production chains. Players find the gameplay tedious and unbalanced.

Campaign mode improvements: The campaign mode introduces new gameplay mechanics and has immense potential, though it ends abruptly. It includes a variety of quests and achievements, enhancing the single-player experience.

Combat mechanics: The game introduces land and sea combat mechanics, including troop coordination and pathfinding. Naval combat and ground combat are exciting but differ from Total War mechanics.

Religion and research systems: The game features a religion and patron system, along with a research tree that has conditional branches, adding depth to the gameplay.

Comparison with Anno 1800: The game is compared to Anno 1800, with some players finding it simpler and less polished, while others appreciate the new mechanics and upgrades.

Story and quests: The story and quests are a significant part of the game, though some fetch quests are considered boring and not meaningful.

Frequent crashes and technical issues: The game is reported to crash frequently, especially during main menu actions or after adjusting settings. Compatibility issues with Linux and other technical problems are also noted.

Ubisoft Connect and connectivity issues: Players experience various connectivity issues with Ubisoft Connect, including problems with synchronization between Uplay and Steam, and multiplayer connectivity issues. These problems often prevent the game from starting or cause disruptions during gameplay.

FPS instability and settings impact: Players observe significant FPS differences between high and medium settings, with struggles to maintain stable FPS even with DLSS enabled. Nvidia auto-configuration is noted to help stabilize FPS.

Graphical and rendering issues: Several graphical issues are reported, including black screens during startup or loading, and the game causing computers to shut down. GPU-related errors and crashes are also mentioned.

High hardware demand: The game is demanding on high-end hardware such as the RTX 4070 Ti Super and experiences frame drops on systems like the RTX 3070 TI with Ryzen 9 5900X.

Game not ready for release: Many players feel the game is unfinished and rushed, advising to wait for future updates, patches, or discounts before purchasing. Some recommend playing Anno 1800 instead.

Tech tree and campaign improvements: Players suggest changes to the tech tree and request a longer campaign. They also expect tech issues to be fixed with future updates.

Recommended for city builder fans: Despite its issues, the game is recommended for fans of city builders and those who enjoy Roman history. It is suggested for fans of the Anno series and building/economic simulations.

Complete the storyline: Players are looking forward to future updates that will complete the storyline and add more content.

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback for the Steam Deck experience of the game reveals several critical issues. Ubisoft Connect is a major pain point, causing login problems, game crashes, and synchronization issues. Performance and optimization are also significant concerns, with users reporting high power draw, low FPS, and poor optimization. Gameplay mechanics, controls, and overall content have been criticized for being unintuitive and clunky. Technical bugs and glitches, including game-breaking issues and desync problems, further detract from the experience. Lastly, the user interface and controls are often described as unintuitive and difficult to use, adding to player frustration.

Monetization: The game is criticized for its aggressive monetization strategies, including the release of day-1 DLCs, overpriced content, and an incomplete base game that requires additional purchases to feel complete. Many users feel that the game is a cash grab, leveraging the success of previous titles to push sales of DLCs and season passes.

External guides: The primary user complaints revolve around the lack of in-game guidance, unclear quest progression, and the complexity of managing resources through external spreadsheets. These issues significantly impact the user experience, leading to frustration and a reliance on external resources.

Synchronization issues between Uplay and Steam: Players frequently encounter synchronization problems between Uplay and Steam, resulting in error messages stating that the game is not unlocked for their account.

Confusion between Latin and modern Italian: The game's dialogues mix Latin with modern Italian, which can be confusing for players familiar with either language.

Player dissatisfaction with publisher: Some players have expressed dissatisfaction with the publisher, stating that this will be the last game they purchase from them.

AI-generated art mentioned: There are mentions of AI-generated art being used in the game, which could be a point of contention for some players.