Plants vs. Zombies

Popcap Games are probably best known on the iPhone for their smash hit games Peggle and Bejeweled 2. Their latest release looks to be another instant smash hit as well. Say hello to Plants vs. Zombies.

Originally a PC game which in itself gained huge accolades, Popcap Games have given this title a makeover for its AppStore debut. Plants Vs Zombies takes the tower defence genre and gives it a bit of a shake. Now I never played the original PC version so my opinions are based purely on my experience of the iPhone version.

The premise is a relatively simple one, Zombies have risen from the grave and the only thing that stands between them and your supposedly tasty brain are your collection of zombie bashing plants. You need to think quickly and place your plants strategically onto the game field in order to stop the increasingly heavy barrage of zombies.

When you first start playing you only have one type of seed to plant. As you complete each stage you are rewarded with a new type of seed each with a different offensive or defensive capability. There are a total of 50 stages to complete and 49 different seeds to collect. To spice this up, you play over a variety of environments, including your lawn, rooftop and swimming pool. Add to this a total of 26 different types of zombies, each with their own special abilities. Encroaching fog and setting suns will also add to the challenge as you attempt to fend off the army of un-dead.

Each stage progresses in a similar fashion, you must collect sunshine as it falls down the screen (you do this by simply tapping the sunshine as it falls). Each seed costs a different amount to plant and the skill comes from stragically placing the various plants to successfully fend off the zombies. A bar at the top of the screen shows your progression through a stage and planting a new seed is as simple as touching required seed and spot where you want to plant it (you can also drag and drop a seed if you so wished).

As you progress through the stages of this game you will need to start thinking harder about your tactics, especially as you will need to pick what type of seeds you want to take into the next stage. Fortunately, you are given a look at the type of zombies you will be facing to help you in your selection. Even so, think hard or you may quickly find those zombies are harder than you first thought.

This may make you think that there isn’t much too this game, but if it’s one thing that Popcap Games seem good at, it’s taking the simplest of premises and making them so enjoyable to play that you don’t want to put them down.  The graphics are fun and colourful and the music and sound effects fit perfectly. Attention to detail is high with a few hidden gems to be found.

There are 13 achievements to be gained within the game and an almanac giving details on all the plants and zombies including facts and quotes.  A quick Play arena is also included allowing you instant access to replay any level you’ve already completed.

I’ve never been that big on the tower defence genre but am enjoying this game immensely. How veterans of the genre will feel about it though, especially as there’s only one difficulty level, is hard to say. But, given the production value and fun nature of the gameplay I think people will be hard pressed to fault this game.

One thing to note in comparison to the PC version is the lack of some features, namely, the survival mode. Be sure, however, not to let this put you off what is an absolute gem of a game. Like Peggle before it, I was unsure as to how it could possibly be a good game. But, once again, Popcap Games have shown us the way, it’s not just a good game… it’s a great one!