Game Info
Game Name: Plants vs. Zombies
Developer(s): PopCap Games
Publisher(s): PopCap Games
Platform(s): PC/Xbox 360/PS3/NDS/PSP/PSVita
Genre(s): Strategy
Release Date(s): May 5, 2009
ESRB Rating: E10+
The zombies are coming! A zombie apocalypse is occurring and only you can defend your land from them. Armed with a bag of seeds and the ability to grow and raise plants capable of battling the zombies, you can create a barrier between your home and the hordes of the evil undead…The zombies are coming and only you and your sunflowers can stop them!
Plants vs. Zombies was the popular PopCap game released for computers. The success of the game led to versions for portable systems and most home consuls. The game is often either available as a download or sometimes can be found as part of a collection pack. The game was the winner of multiple awards and spawned merchandise including a board game and sequels.
Plants vs. Zombies is an interesting format type game. The play isn’t extremely revolutionary and borrows from lots of other games and styles. The announcement “The Zombies are Coming!” always manages to strike fear in me despite the fact that all of the zombies aren’t very terrifying…it just means that the short set-up time you had is coming to an end.
The gameplay does have some fun variety. There are tons of different seeds with different varieties of plants you can arrange in preparation for the attack. In addition to the multiple plants, the game features a lot of boards with water and other obstacles which hinder your plans to halt the zombies’ progress. Playing for a while, you do generally get a plan of attack which seems to work for most levels, but you still feel like you are up against the wall when trying to rapidly set-up and replenish your plants.
The visuals of the game are also quite fun. The game makers allegedly were going for the contrast of horrific zombies to bright sunny plants…they succeed. The zombies may be goofy but their moaning and lurching is a good juxtaposition to the smiling faces of your flowers.
Plants vs. Zombies is just a fun quick game, but it is addictive. In a world where you often have to sit for hours playing a game, it is nice to have a level and turned based game which you can play for a short, quick time. Despite being short and quick, multiple levels and gameplay allow for variety and replay ability. Plants vs. Zombies was followed by Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time in 2013.