Although it has been out for a while now, I recently performed a leap of faith into the Assassin’s Creed-themed mobile game dubbed Rebellion. The Fallout Shelter/Commando tactics hybrid comes with a lot of fun and some annoyances to boot. But it is a treat for fans of the series.
Gameplay
The game is a mix between that iconic Fallout Shelter 2.5D playing field, which sees players building and managing rooms within their villa. Each room has a purpose from training Assassins to producing health potions. It feels a lot like Fallout Shelter and the activities players tell their assassins to do takes real-time to complete or it could be rushed with currency.
But the game shines in the missions. When starting a mission players must choose a team of three assassins who fit the criteria. Shadow, Enforcer or Support all have various subcategories. Once the team is set up the mission begins and players have to tell their assassins to do things by clicking on ‘actions’.
There are multiple ways to get through a room. Will you kill the guards or sneak by them? Each action has a percentage meter, which determines the assassin’s success rate which, in turn, is dependent on how well the assassins are trained. It’s a lot of fun and there have been some nail-biting moments where my assassin is on the verge of death but someone managed to dodge a blow and deliver a killing strike of their own.
If an assassin does go down, they need time to recover in a bed in the player’s villa. The game also features a crafting system to buff your assassins with weapons and armour. I can’t help but think of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood’s system which had players sending their Assassins out to do missions except here you actually go with them on these missions.
The graphics are cute and quirky and the sound effects are good. The music is ripped straight from the main game series and is amazing. I often just let the game sit idle while I listen to the soundtrack playing.
Events
The highlight of the game is the events that happen quite frequently. These events take players through different ages in the Assassin’s Creed timelines. From Ancient Greece to The Renaissance, each has some sweet rewards to snag as well like DNA fragments that you need to collect to unlock an Assassin or promote them to the next tier.
Invasive Ads
Sadly, the game is somewhat plagued by invasive ads that just pop up on the screen out of nowhere. Often times, I’d load back into my HQ and as I click on a room an ad pops up and I’ve accidentally clicked purchase (luckily, I have no card linked to that account).
The game has a lot of microtransactions that give a clear advantage to those who buy them, however, there is no hardcore PVP. Sure, there is a leaderboard section but you’re not pitting your Assassin’s against other players. I have had a lot of fun with this game without paying a cent on it.
Yes, it is slow to grind out levels and my Assassins level up bit-by-bit each day. But this is a free game after all. I just wish the ads wouldn’t pop up so much. It’s like YouTube ads in the middle of the video; it’s the most annoying thing ever.
Overall, if you are an Assassin’s Creed fan and want to play something casually, then try out Assassin’s Creed Rebellion available on Google Play and App Store.
