It took me a while to get into Anno 117 as a new Anno player. The first hours were spent in a state of confusion, going bankrupt, and wondering what to do next. Then it clicked – the game's core thesis as a city-builder was one of unrestrained growth. I donned my proto-capitalist top hat and tails (making me an oddity in a world of togas), and got to work. Once I understood that the real key thesis of the game was to just keep expanding, swallowing up more and more of your bucolic surroundings, I got it, I really got it, and I was hooked.
The Anno series has taken us from the Early Modern Era to the future, and back again to the Industrial Revolution – and now, we're heading back to antiquity. Anno 117 takes place during the period known as the Pax Romana, a time of general peace and prosperity in the Roman Empire. It was also a time of long-term imperialism, and guess what you'll be doing in this game? That's right – expanding, baby.
