This is almost exactly my experience, but I stuck it out for more like 30 hours because I really dug that desert setting, which is criminally under used in games.

Also, does anyone remember the Animus Save Editor? Back when Ubisoft Connect was still called UPlay, there was a tab in the in-game overlay that allowed you to change a bunch of parameters of your save game, including disabling enemy leveling, making assassinations insta-kills on any enemy, adjusting DPS for your character as well as NPCs, etc. For some reason though, after Ubisoft rebranded UPlay, they removed the feature. I still have my modified save, but can’t make any further adjustments. It sucks because I was able to make the game feel much closer to the old AC games, and new players can’t.