When last I slipped into the shoes of a governor of Rome, it was to manage an expedition to Albion. This past week I’ve been setting my sights on the wealth of the Nile in the Anno 117: Pax Romana – Dawn of the Delta expansion. I’m happy to say that so far, this is a journey worth taking.
For many similar city-building titles, Dawn of the Delta would have been a massive expansion, or a fully fledged game of its own. It gives you the whole new region of Egypt to build in, new civilisation, villager types, resources, gods and more – it’s massive. And you can even play one sprawling game with settlements in Rome, Albion, and Aegyptus.
Read more: Preview | Anno 117: Pax Romana: ‘We’re all going on a Roman holiday’
New neighbours
Starting out in Aegyptus, I was stunned by how differently it plays. In the base Anno 117 experience, you’re balancing your time between Roman civilians in the Mediterranean archipelago and Albion citizens in the British Isles. Egypt is a wildly different experience, though, firstly – no islands! Instead of scattered islands spread across a vast ocean, you’re playing on skinny strips of land divided by the river itself. This means having multiple settlements to capture vital resources and trade between them is far easier than in the base game. I also found that, in my games, it made competing with the AI more cut-throat, since you could reach end-game resources more easily and earlier.
The civilians in Aegytpus follow a very different tech tree from the existing Romans and Albions. The Threshers are the base tier, they subsist on farmed dates, porridge, and simple clothing. Then you choose whether your people step into a Roman way of life as scribes, or an Egyptian way of life as potters. Scribes lean more into learning, while Potters focus on traditional goods and techniques. Then there’s another tier, the Gymnasiacs and the Chanters. It’s a whole lot of choice and consequence for each of your cities to evolve under.
One brick at a time
Building a city in the Delta adds a new learning curve, thanks to the river’s natural ebb and flow. Each build area is split into desert areas, where you’ll build your sandstone homes. Then there are fertile areas where you can plant farms and chop trees. Lastly are the floodplains, where you dry mud for bricks and gather reeds. Building a thriving city means understanding and capitalising on all three.
The best bit, though, is the push and pull between your decisions and the way nature forces your hand. You can build aqueducts in the Roman style or canals in the Egyptian style to spread water and grow farmland in arid regions. And of course, there is the flood season, when the river expands and threatens to flood your production buildings and damage your city. But the upside is that after the floods, the fertile land left behind is more productive for your crops.
It’s a great little system that rewards planning and strategic city design.
Setting sail for new horizons
Anno 117: Pax Romana – Dawn of the Delta might be a mouthful to say, but it’s a delicious meal so far. Its detailed depiction of the contrast between Roman and Egyptian culture really sets the scene for a new horizon. Exploring the new tech trees and getting to grips with how cities are built on the Nile was immediately exciting, and I can see plenty of depth in the new systems as my cities grow.
Suffice to say, this is one journey I’m glad to set sail on, and I will be keen to see where my little hamlet goes next.
Access to Anno 117 was supplied by the publisher.
