Anno 117 wowed me with its superb city-building and weighty decision-making

When you ponder the Roman Empire (and per the meme, that’s a daily occurrence for many), you of course think about its sprawling influence across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. An empire that relentlessly conquered and expanded, spanning from what is today the United Kingdom all the way down to Egypt. I expected Anno 117 to double down on that feeling - give me land, and let me build all the villas, aqueducts, and marble masterpieces I can. However, as I came ashore on its beautiful Celtic region of Albion during a one-hour demo at Gamescom, what I was actually given was a choice: push the Empire’s agenda to create your very own Rome from Rome, or expand in a way that embraces the existing Celtic culture.