Abstract

Ubisoft Mainz returns with its most ambitious instalment yet—one of the biggest games ever made about the Roman Empire—along with a soundtrack to match. With Roman-inspired melodies and sweeping cinematic strings and brass, Anno117: Pax Romana’s soundtrack is crafted with players in mind.

Description

Anno 117: Pax Romana – Wellness for the ears. Nearly 4 hours of music, more than 8,500 sound effects, and over 10,000 voice lines. Ubisoft Mainz spared no effort to acoustically immerse players in the Roman toga. As a Roman governor, players form an island empire from two distinct starting provinces: Latium, a sunny Mediterranean setting lush with verdant meadows and forests, where the campaign begins; and Albion, the cold far north of Britain with harsh weather, rugged mountains, and a nebulous, mystical, and alien culture.

Both lead to very different approaches to the music and soundscape of the 24-hour day-night cycle. Latium offers a classic orchestral approach supported by solo instruments such as the duduk, ney, oud, and bouzouki, and underlines the atmosphere with lively cicadas, swaying grass, and rustling trees. Albion utilizes various flutes, fiddle, guitar, and bodhrán, while the ambiance is characterized by pattering rain and ominous thunder. In both cases, our settlement grows from a tranquil hamlet into a thriving coastal metropolis.

Over 100 building types, along with their inhabitants and their daily activities, have been lovingly and meticulously voiced, and over 20 actors bring the characters to life. As our maritime trading empire expands, we inevitably come into conflict with other governors and locals. Whether we resolve these conflicts diplomatically or militarily is up to the players.

If you choose to play as a war game, the four-person audio team behind Anno 117: Pax Romana demonstrates its mastery of both immersive city-building simulations and real-time strategy. Whether it’s the various ship types, catapults, infantry, or cavalry, all units sound detailed and distinct according to their type, size, equipment, and actions. The latter is also the focus of the haptic user interface.

Every interaction provides not only acoustic feedback but also an indication of the result. A ship maneuver is accompanied by creaking and the setting of sails, while an attack order is met with the drawing of swords; thus, input, world, and gameplay merge into an immersive soundscape. This sense of relaxation is also reflected in the beautiful, slightly melancholic orchestral music, for which the Mainz-based company Dynamedion, a long-standing partner, was once again brought on board.

Under the direction of Matthias Wolf and Tilman Silescu, the team composed over 100 beautifully crafted pieces with emotive melodies, which were recorded live with a 65-piece orchestra in Budapest and a dozen soloists across Germany. The result is a soundtrack with 65 tracks and approximately 150 minutes of pure soothing music, available on all major platforms.

ISA Entrant: Ubisoft Mainz