It's a thriller night!

Plants vs. Zombies is a 2009 game created by PopCap games. A seemingly simple tower defense game, Plants vs. Zombies quickly gained a rather strong following for its unique take on the genre as well as its delightful sense of humor.

And indeed, Plants vs. Zombies is as charming as everyone says it is.

There’s nothing complex to it, you simply plant…well…plants that act as defenses to your house against invading waves of zombies. There is a wide array of different plants at your disposal (most of which you gain as you progress through the story mode, a few others must be unlocked through other means).

Each different plant has their own strategy to use against the zombies. For example, the Pea Shooters act as the most basic of turrets, firing peas at the first zombie that comes their way, while the Wallnut acts as a barricade between the zombies and the other plants. There are many more plants in addition to these basic ones, including advanced versions of the aforementioned plants. Some plants can even be upgraded.

Though the most important of all plants are the Sunflowers, which are defenseless on their own and need defending by stronger plants, but provide you with “sun,” which is required to create more plants.

Each plant is charming in one way or another, both in appearance and it the little quirks they all provide to your defense team. But don’t think that the zombies are any less versatile. The zombies also come in all shapes and sizes. Along with the basic variety, you will also fight against crazed, straight-jacket wearing zombies, dolphin-riding zombies, newspaper-reading zombies (who go into a frenzy once the plants destroy their newspaper) and even zombies inspired by the iconic music video Thriller, who even do the trademark dance to summon more zombies. Just as is the case with the plants, there are many more zombies, each one of them bringing another strategy and joke along with them.

But all of the charm of the plants and zombies would mean nothing if the gameplay wasn’t equally as charming, and thankfully, it is! Plants vs. Zombies hearkens back to the good old days of gaming, when thinking and strategy were involved. You are required to think ahead, and build strategies based on what plants you have at your disposal, and what zombies are going to show up on the stage (you are given a preview before each stage begins). And once the huge waves of zombies come in, you will have to do some fast thinking of the best strategy to use against the impending wave.

And some stages take on different environments to further vary the gameplay. Some stages take place during the cold of night, in which you must use nocturnal plants and fungi and most of your average plants become unavailable, so you come up with strategies based on what you do have. Other levels take place at swimming pools (which explains the dolphin-riding zombies), where you must place lily pads so your plants can stay afloat, or use special plants made specifically for watery places. Some stages even take place on a rooftop, in which you must use different strategies that can work under the disadvantage of the arching shape of the roof.

Each different environment brings new gameplay changes to the table, and all of them work. The roof stages are particularly difficult, and provide a good challenge to the game.

The story mode shouldn’t take too long to complete, but it will provide more than enough of its fair share of fun. And when you do finish it up there are mini-games and other additional modes to try out. Unfortunately, I don’t think the other modes of play are as fun as the main story mode, but they are fun in their own right.

All in all, Plants vs. Zombies is a wonderfully fun game that is bursting with personality. It reminds us of the times when video games were all about the fun factor, and brings with it a ton of charm (including a humorous end credits song). I do wish the other modes were as good as the story mode, but again, they aren’t bad by any means. But most complaints with it are just small quibbles. A game with this kind of personality and charm are a rare occurrence these days, but Plants vs. Zombies makes it look so easy.

The zombies are coming!

(1 votes, average: 8.00 out of 10, rated)

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