There’s a common pattern in mobile gaming which gives mobile gaming a bad rap. A big-name franchise makes an oversimplified version of their game, makes it free (because honestly, that’s the only type of game mobile players “buy”), and then to pay for the development overhead they insert loot systems that subtly push players toward spending money to speed things along. And that’s exactly what Assassin’s Creed Rebellion is.

Now, to be honest, I’ve enjoyed Assassin’s Creed Rebellion. Once you accept the inevitability of the mobile formula, it’s actually a really good execution. The most important aspect, to me, is the fact that they keep the core gameplay loop of the franchise intact. Players must carefully plan their routes as they sneak through a level, choosing when to assassinate, when to fight, and ultimately take risks with their chosen path in the pursuit of greater rewards. Sure, all the fighting and assassinating is left up to a random number generator based on displayed probabilities, but still. It feels like a solid representation of the series. Which is more than can be said for most Doctor Who or Marvel games.

And the gameplay goes beyond missions. Players also get a headquarters where they can train their characters, forge weapons, gather intelligence, and make money. It’s a fun little Fallout Shelter style element that makes it feel like you truly are amassing resources for a rebellion.

But the progression slowing that comes in most freemium games does seem skewed more towards the cash-grab side of the table in Assassin’s Creed Rebellion. Through the Thanksgiving Holiday and traveling, I had no problem getting to level nine, but then that was where progression hit a wall. I spent the following week playing during my mealtimes and every procrastination break along the way, but through it all, I managed to secure just one more level. And there I stayed, sitting at level ten. To put it in better perspective, by this point I had 3-starred every level in the first region, not counting the number of times I had rushed levels, maxed out every daily mission for the last several days, and still, I couldn’t progress the main story from where I stalled halfway through the second region (out of five) because I was stuck well under the recommended power level.

Now, I expect progression slowing in any free mobile game. It is a common tactic to flood players with resources early, get them accustomed to a certain rhythm of playing, and then pull the rug out of under them to make the passive aggressive ads for real-money resources look all the more appealing. But typically, with a bit of patience, I can usually adjust my playstyle and continue playing without a problem, or a dollar spent. And that’s what I had hoped to accomplish here. I just needed to break through this wall and get into the next region, where hopefully the power level would even out. I mean, it’s not uncommon for games to have a brief, yet broken difficulty spike due to poor balancing, especially fresh out of launch.

So, I finally took a day to burn through all of my intelligence and health potions to bust this thing out. (Intelligence is ACR’s mobile currency for limiting how many missions you can play in a day, much like energy in other games. And I had a stack well over the limit thanks to my diligence in completing achievements and daily missions.) And after all that, you know how far I got? Level 11 and one more story mission completed. Just the one. And that was still 50 power level over my highest character. But by golly, I did it!

And as of this writing, that is where I stand: at level 11 with my next story mission recommended at level 16. And I’m almost done with the available side missions, too. This game reeeally wants me to grind out intelligence and health potions on rushing missions. Which is essentially auto-playing a mission without the hassle of waiting. You pick your team, click “Rush”, and Ding! Your rewards pour in, minus the cost of the mission ala intelligence tickets. It’s neat to have such a shortcut, but sitting at region two out of five is just way too soon for such a thing to be necessary. As a Destiny player, I’m no stranger to a grind, but the grind in ACR is just annoyingly overdrawn and far too early.

So yeah, if you are a fan of Assassin’s Creed, and you’re just looking for a way to mindlessly hop through some levels on your daily commute with no heed to missions or progression, then you’ll probably enjoy Assassin’s Creed Rebellion. Just bear in mind that you’ll need a lot of patience, or perhaps a few bucks, if you hope to finish the story missions.