Plants vs. Zombies Review

By Christian Donlan Published 4 May, 2009

Rot in my back yard.

Version tested: PC

Gardening brings out the worst in game developers. Even nominally cuddly outfits, who trade in moonbeams and gentle kisses, experience a strange, peat-fuelled bloodlust whenever they saunter down the cobbled path and set up shop under the old oak tree. Why else would Nintendo invite us to choose between choking to death on an alien allotment or harvesting warm corpses for industrial reprocessing in Pikmin? And what brought Rare, a developer more likely to have you chasing after coins while butterflies skitter about overhead, to delve into the rotting underside of the natural world in the bucolic Viva Piñata, a papier mache bloodbath of sacrificial breeding and advanced eugenics, where the sight of a Fudgehog having its head bashed in is accompanied by cheering infants?

Nasty stuff all round, and now PopCap - friend of the unicorn, tireless lobbyist for bookworms everywhere - is getting in on the action, using your cheerful well-trimmed lawns as the staging area for the intimate, brain-eating final phase of a full-blown zombie invasion, with only a handful of seed packets and a trowel standing between the shambling undead and the booming, definitive, and oddly affecting announcement that your brains have just been eaten. Jimmy Lightning never treated us like this.

Not to worry, though: the company that spliced Pachinko and Egyptian cats, and retrieved gem-trading from the murky world of Sierra Leone and its death squads, has lost none of its breezy charm. These are zombies of the lovable, huggable variety: they may be closing in to finish you off in a sweaty fumble of greying skin and cold fingers, but at least they've made an effort, dressing up in a range of natty outfits that takes in everything from line-backer shoulder pads to eighties back-up dancer leotards, and announcing their grim intentions in a range of friendly, handwritten notes. And rather than remove their heads with buckshot or gore them on the end of a garden fork, you're left to defend yourself with a gentler arsenal of pea pods and pumpkins. It's the apocalypse, only rather more civilised, and a lot richer in fibre than modern cinema would have you believe.

'Plants vs. Zombies' Screenshot 1

Crazy Dave sells upgrades from the trunk of his station wagon. The saucepan-as-hat look is super fresh in the OC this season.

PopCap's titles have a habit of existing on the largely imaginary boundary separating casual and hardcore audiences. While the stereotypes might not really be that simple, the framework isn't causing the developer any problems as it cranks out game after game simple enough for any old idiot to understand, and with the depth to keep the fastest mouse-clickers playing as well. They scale well, in other words, taking into account not just a wide range of hardware, but players, and while PopCap rarely creates anything from scratch, it builds on existing genres in a way that is probably far more difficult - hacking through the overgrown tangle of tradition and ingrained mechanics, pruning and snipping away until the entire thing assumes a wholly unexpected shape.

Plants vs. Zombies is no different. An effortlessly streamlined take on tower defence games, enemies march across the screen from right to left, sticking to polite rows, and it's up to the player to place the various weapons required to slow their progress and finish them off. There are no health bars for either the zombies or the plant turrets you put up, and you don't even have to worry about redirecting enemies along a different route, as they'll stay in line regardless of what you throw at them. Rounding it all off, the in-game currency needed to buy new seeds is sunlight, which drops into the map depending on how many Sunflowers or Sunshrooms you've planted, and has to be speedily collected before it disappears.

There's a handful of carefully judged complicating factors: different seeds have different recharge times before they can be planted again, and there's a day-and-night cycle which forces you to swap between two arsenals, one composed of plants and one of fungi, every few rounds. As the game progresses and your seed collection builds, a lot of the strategy comes down to sizing up the enemy you'll be facing - you're always afforded a gentlemanly glimpse of the drooling horrors to come - and choosing the correct load-out of tools to take them down.

That in itself would probably be enough, but, as any gardener will tell you, the real pleasure lies in the sheer variety an ecology offers, and so it is with Plants vs. Zombies. Every new enemy forces you out of your comfort zone, while each additional weapon promises a fresh strain of mischief, or a tactic you simply hadn't considered yet.

The invention is dazzling. From Zomboni drivers who leave a trail of ice in their wake, and jack-in-the-box zombies bearing explosive gifts, to Gatling gun Pea Shooters and Doom Shrooms, which explode in highly localised atomic blasts, each new element is a lovely piece of punning design, drawn with thick marker pen appeal. And the game is as pacy as it is charming: as soon as a balloon zombie nonchalantly floats over your defences, you'll need to start thinking about leaving space to plant emergency Cacti or Blowers to see them off, and when nightfall closes in for the first time, you'll quickly have to work out how to keep the sunlight trickling into the bank while you take on the enemy with - initially - underpowered mushrooms.

A second lope through the knockabout apocalypse reveals that the game can handle a wide range of strategies, allowing for players who like to conserve funds and purchase the big guns, as well as those who'd rather risk living hand-to-mouth, investing in cheap one-shot deals like the potato mine and the Wall-Nut, which gives foes something to chew on, while weaker weapons whittle away at their health. Gentle terrain variations force you to rethink old ideas, as the battle moves from the front lawn to the back, and then onwards and upwards, and you're asked to contend with obstacles like a two-lane swimming pool and some nasty sprouting tombstones.

'Plants vs. Zombies' Screenshot 2

Names the lawyers wouldn't accept: Lawn of the Dead.

As with games like Peggle and Bejeweled, PopCap has tested and retested the learning curve until it's so perfectly tuned it's almost creepy, setting a pace that's constantly challenging but rarely too punitive, with a handful of wild-card moments to vitalise each encounter, like the sudden heavy-attack waves that are strung through every level. Elsewhere, the brilliantly simple sunlight-collection idea ensures that, from the very start, you're always multi-tasking between laying defences and collecting funds, and you can never simply sit back and watch events unfold as you can do in so many other tower defence games.

It's for reasons such as these that the tense and always adorable Plants vs. Zombies is a masterful combination of serious strategy and cartoonish delights - and by adding mini-games, survival modes and a shop, PopCap is practically rubbing it in. The result is as fresh and accessible as Super Mario, and as refined and considered as Left 4 Dead, wading into another established genre and polishing the central ideas in a way that will make it a hard act to follow. Despite the undead, you'll still be able to sleep with the lights off, but the midnight oil will be burning long and hard at the developer's increasingly frustrated competitors.

9 / 10

Plants vs. Zombies is available now from PopCap's website for GBP 14.95.

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Christian.

About Christian Donlan

Chris Donlan writes about games for Eurogamer and some magazines. His heroes include Eugene Jarvis, Errol Morris, and Linus Van Pelt.

Read more articles from Christian by visiting the Christian Donlan archive page.

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Comments (68) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • krudd #1 3 years ago

    This game really is well worth it I think!!

  • Eraysor #2 3 years ago

    God dammit Popcap, stop making brilliant games. I have wasted a crazy amount of time on Peggle already.

    EDIT: This is only £6.99 on Steam with Heavy Weapon (I loved the demo for the XBLA version) thrown in for free.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/09 @ 00:20

  • butler` #3 3 years ago

    PopCap: The Blizzard of the casual gaming world.

  • alsotop #4 3 years ago

    Bought this the other day on Steam seeing as it was only £6.99. Should be fun!

  • Tomo #5 3 years ago

    I just bought this and I don't even know what it's about :(

    Damn 9/10 reviews.

  • Oh-Bollox #6 3 years ago

    Shiiit, it's got zombies in, so I have to buy it.

  • CUR715 #7 3 years ago

    Free Trial for anyone who's still unsure (it's 60 minutes of pure shit-eating grin, believe me)

    [link url=ht tp://static.popcap.com/newsletters/pvz_early.php
    ]http://st atic.popcap.com/newsletters/pvz...[/link]

  • Eraysor #8 3 years ago

    Interesting thought: considering Valve did a HL2-Peggle tie in game, I really hope we get a L4D-PvZ game, even if it's only a few levels :)

  • Gl3n #9 3 years ago

    Pre-order now and get Heavy Weapons Deluxe free on steam.

    Whatever that is! :)

    Really looking forward to this, 17 more hours until unlock :(

    Edit: After dabbling with the trial for an hour, i can see this sucking in even more time than Peggle.
    Edited by 2 at 05/05/09 @ 02:31

  • Nithron #10 3 years ago

    I'd buy this if it was on iphone.

    Just sayin'.

  • Pro_Gamer #11 3 years ago

    Jesus, Eurogamer... How can you give a 9/10 to what basically amounts to a FLASH game? I don't understand how you can possibly give something like this a 9/10 but only an 8/10 to World in Conflict. You are only trying to be controversial for the sake of a few extra hits. It makes me sick...

  • butler` #12 3 years ago

    pro_gamer: If you haven't noticed, game reviewers tend to work by analysing and scoring a given game within the wider context of the specific genre (amongst other things).

    8/10 is a pretty solid and representative score for WiC considering its take on the RTS genre, its budget, who it was developed by, when it was released, [ad nauseum].

    EDIT: and the fact that EG gave it a 9/10..................
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/09 @ 03:12

  • Verwandlung #13 3 years ago

    [link url=http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=0N1_0SUGlDQ
    ]http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=0N1_0SUGlDQ
    [/link]

    Possible side effects: Nausea, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite, stomach pain, dizziness, drowsiness, trouble sleeping, fatigue, increased sweating, or dry mouth may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, notify your doctor promptly.

    Tell your doctor immediately if any of these serious side effects occur: changes in sexual ability/interest, unusual or severe mental/mood changes.
    Tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur: black stools, "coffee ground" vomit, easy bruising/bleeding,rash, itching, swelling, severe dizziness, trouble breathing. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

  • CouldntResist #14 3 years ago

    "[link url=http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=0N1_0SUGlDQ
    ]http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=0N1_0SUGlDQ
    [/link]

    Possible side effects: Nausea, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite, stomach pain, dizziness, drowsiness, trouble sleeping, fatigue, increased sweating, or dry mouth may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, notify your doctor promptly.

    Tell your doctor immediately if any of these serious side effects occur: changes in sexual ability/interest, unusual or severe mental/mood changes.
    Tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur: black stools, "coffee ground" vomit, easy bruising/bleeding,rash, itching, swelling, severe dizziness, trouble breathing. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist."

    Genius, absolute genius. Had me grinning like an idiot all the way through.

  • Vice.Destroyer #15 3 years ago

    @Butler. Lol at you pointing out that Pro_gamer has not got a pro_memory. Nor reads the very clearly sign-posted link at the bottom of the review that explains the scoring process.

  • Pulsar_t #16 3 years ago

    PopCap: The Blizzard of the casual gaming world.

    Since when has it been favourable to compare anything to the sellouts Blizzard?

  • menage #17 3 years ago

    There goes my sexlife, when my GF gets wind of this I will not see her for ages.

  • BiscuitBase #18 3 years ago

    I wish I worked for Popcap

  • Dizzy #19 3 years ago

    Sounds ace. XBLA please... I do not play games like this on my PC.

  • b00n #20 3 years ago

    Hm, 9/10 here and in Edge. Let's buy.

  • ZuluHero #21 3 years ago

    er.. why is this so cheap on Steam and full price on popcaps official site?

    Not just a couple of quid either, the difference is staggering too, over half price?

    Its a shame as i usually prefer to have a stand-a-lone launcher, but i can't ignore that saving...

  • paulf #22 3 years ago

    got this game yesterday through a popcap promo, excellent fun with lots of lol moments

  • Harmonica #23 3 years ago

    Yeah, toss me in with the 'waiting for an XBLA version' crowd, because I'd rather sit in front of my TV these days. But that demo was fun as hell.

    "Jesus, Eurogamer... How can you give a 9/10 to what basically amounts to a FLASH game? I don't understand how you can possibly give something like this a 9/10 but only an 8/10 to World in Conflict. You are only trying to be controversial for the sake of a few extra hits. It makes me sick..."

    @Pro_Gamer: I'm still holding out that this was a overwrought attempt at mocking people who usually say the same thing.

    Anyway, you seem to be getting confused over what it is that games are meant to do. If they're entertaining to play, then they've suceeded at being entertaining. If they're fun to play, then they've suceeded at being fun. For the large part, you mark a game against what it's trying to do. That they're not reinventing the wheel or interpreting the works of Shakespeare is irrelevant, unless they actually set out to do those things.

    That you think a game like this is akin to 'a FLASH game' shows up a rather surface-deep level of appreciation.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/09 @ 10:08

  • UncleLou #24 3 years ago

    er.. why is this so cheap on Steam and full price on popcaps official site?


    You're right - how weird. € 19.95 from PopCap, €9.95 on Steam.

  • noTHINGface #25 3 years ago

    Yeah - I'm in then. Cheers for the heads up re. the Steam price v PopCap. Every quid saved may help rehabilitate a poor pro_gamer in need.

  • spudsbuckley #26 3 years ago

    I agree with pro_gamer. I'll never understand how stuff that could be played for free on some shitty flash games website could be considered to be comparable to a proper game. This goes for the majority of XBLA games as well. People are insane to pay for this kind of tat.

  • mingster #27 3 years ago

    Spudsbuckley... please define 'a proper game'
    so we can all laugh at you,

  • spudsbuckley #28 3 years ago

    Something that couldn't possibly be played in a browser for free.

    I'm not saying that these 'games' are bad for what they are but they shouldn't be consider to be anywhere near comparable to real games.

  • the_dudefather #29 3 years ago

    Quake 3 has recently been deligated to the 'not a real game' category thanks to Quake live

  • spudsbuckley #30 3 years ago

    Quake 3 started out life as a real game. Technology has now allowed it to be played in a browser. Different kettle of fish all together. It's in no way comparable to this Flash-looking high-score casual tat.

  • Widge #31 3 years ago

    A proper game should have graphics, multiplayer, co-op and XP rankings ... preferably within some sort of overblown conflict setting, failing that, some sort of driving scenario will be acceptable. Only once those criteria have been satisfied can you begin to take into account whether or not the actual game playing experience is a good one or not.

  • spudsbuckley #32 3 years ago

    Why discuss anything ever?

  • paulf #33 3 years ago

    @spudsbuckley and all the other detractors

    have you played the game?

  • Gearskin #34 3 years ago

    There's a zombie on your lawwwwwwn.
    You don't want zombies on your lawwwwwwwwwn.

    Looks nice.

  • Harmonica #35 3 years ago

    @spudsbuckley

    "I'm not saying that these 'games' are bad for what they are but they shouldn't be consider to be anywhere near comparable to real games."

    This is the most laughable contradiction in terms I've seen this week so far.

    They're all bloody games. The very fact that EG rank all things in an arbitrary numbers system should surely suggest to you that they consider them all on their own merits. Thus, Plants vs. Zombies is a 9/10 at being a game where you play plants vs. zombies.

    Sort it out.

    edit: the numbers are relativistic. Christ, thickos abound.
    Edited by 2 at 05/05/09 @ 12:28

  • Azazel #36 3 years ago

    2D graphics = not a real game. YARLY

  • mingster #37 3 years ago

    This line of thought that games aren't 'real games' if they can be played in a browser i find bizarre.
    So when you can play all the old classic arcade games and nes games in a browser are these not games?
    Or do you mean the only games you should pay more than a few pence for are Blockbuster 3D titles.
    In your mind is every 2D game including shootemups not a 'real game'?
    Very werid.

  • Artemus #38 3 years ago

    I've got that stupid zombie song in my head now!

  • BobsUncle #39 3 years ago

    @spudsbuckley

    I assume you understand the education system? i.e. an A at A-Level is worth more than an A at GCSE, but they are still both A's.

    It's down to context, EG are not saying that this game is better than MGS4 (for example) but they are saying it's very good in it's category.
    You wouldn't compare Halo to Forza Motorsport, (Unless you're a retard) likewise you can't compare this game directly to any of the big hitters.

    Rather that EG having a load of different ratings for different game types they've assumed people can tell the difference between a triple A title and a lower budget one. Seems they may have overestimated some people's reasoning capabilites.

  • thedaveeyres #40 3 years ago

    - spudsbuckley: "high-score casual tat"

    You are an utter, utter cretin who I guess is too young to have ever played proper games. Know your fucking history or keep your flapping gob shut.

  • sanctusmortis #41 3 years ago

    PLEASE come to XBLA!

  • Ergates_Antius #42 3 years ago

    @spudsbuckley : Your arguments seem to boil down to: Real games should be built on expensive new technology. That's akin to saying that low-budget indie films made without the help of cgi and a multi-million dollar sfx budget aren't real films. This argument has been had many many times in the past. With every generation of improved graphics technology, anything belonging to previous generations suddenly becomes "not a real game".

    Secondly -"tat"? If there is one thing that Pop-Cap games are not it is tat. They may be simple, but they're very well made and very highly polished.

    @Coin-Op: Or maybe is shows that they're better games than MGS4 and RE5. That having flashy 3D graphics doesn't automatically make a game better. That a stupidly overblown story line full of terrible terrible cod-psychology isn't necessary. I'm sorry if this disturbs you, but throughout the history of gaming, there are dozens of examples of small simple games being better than big-budget blockbusters. Oh, and MGS and RE games are not immune from being boring (especialy if you don't like long cutscenes).

  • butler` #43 3 years ago

    sry EG u cnt review games dat aint AAA on ps3 or x360!11

    :|

  • Waldo #44 3 years ago

    Anyone with a computer that's less than 10 years old can play this, so I'm not sure why a console version is necessary.

  • BremXJones #45 3 years ago

    Bobsuncle: But it totally *is* better than MGS4.

    KG

  • Bluetribe #46 3 years ago

    Steam tells me "sorry, we couldn't add your item!"

    Why?

    edit: Steam was under maintenance...
    and still is I guess, oh well
    Edited by 2 at 05/05/09 @ 18:48

  • Lim-Dul #47 3 years ago

    Hey - I've been playing the game for a few hours now and it's awesometastic!
    It's newbie-friendly but also quite challenging later on and not as static as many tower defense games. The number of different plants and zombies is STAGGERING and the choice is not as obvious as in many other games of this type. Choosing the right "seed deck" (plants to use in a given level) requires careful consideration with certain options being better than others but no plant ever becomes obsolete till the very end and it's not just a choice between powerful and expensive or weak and cheap - the enemies also have many more characteristics than "speed and toughness".

    Two thumbs up!

  • AOFanboi #48 3 years ago

    Yeah, this is not a "real" game the same way a banana is not "real" food. Geez!

  • George-Roper #49 3 years ago

    Erm, quite possibly a stupid question, but can anyone tell me how to get this running in a proper widescreen resolution?

    I'm not entirely sure i'll be happy playing this with huge borders to the left and right....

  • UncleLou #50 3 years ago

    You can't. It's a 2D game, 2D doesn't scale to different resolutions. You can either blow the image up for anything higher than the standard resolution (which makes it look shit, which is why I'd suggest playing PvZ n a window in the first place, and won't be of use for widescreen anyhow, unless you stretch it), or fill the additional space in higher resolutions and widescreen with more of the map. Seeing how you see the entire "map" in PvZ 4:3 all the time anyway, though, all they colud do is fill the borders with ornaments. You're basically asking for widescreen support for something like Tetris here.

  • George-Roper #51 3 years ago

    Ah, fair enough. I didn't realise there were limitations like that. I assumed they'd have some kind of auto-magical scaler going on.

    Good idea on the windowed mode, mind. I'll give that a go, cheers!

  • UncleLou #52 3 years ago

    It's pretty tiny, mind, but I prefered that to the "blown-up with borders" look.

  • Gearskin #53 3 years ago

    Yeah, I'm using windowed too, but since the game doesn't hog any resources it means you can protect your back door and MSN at the same time lol

    Awesome game.

  • AOFanboi #54 3 years ago

    <em>2D doesn't scale to different resolutions</em>

    Darn it! I wish they would solve that problem soon. Perhaps they could give the solution a fancy name like vector graphics...

  • UncleLou #55 3 years ago

    Yeah, great idea, and I bet it would make stuff like World of Goo look really razor-sharp even when scaled to, say, (I am making up a future resolution here) 1900*1200!

  • George-Roper #56 3 years ago

    Windowed mode sorts it out. The graphics are pin-sharp and whilst it does look a bit lost in the middle of 1920x1200, its still a very adorable game.

    Another success story for PopCap!

  • PinkSpider #57 3 years ago

    Been playing the demo of this. Tis very fun, and now I'm in trouble with the misses for not being in bed sooner :0

    Now if only I had a spare £7.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/09 @ 23:40

  • George-Roper #58 3 years ago

    I'm gonna be an ass and say that I find 20 e a bit too heavy for a ''simple'' game like this. I know this makes me sound like a graphic whore, but it's just tower defence in a way.

    20 what? Quid? Its 6.99 from Steam.

    Does it matter what it is, providing its delivered with due quality?

  • UncleLou #59 3 years ago

    It's 20 € on PopCap's own site, I guess that's what he means. There seems to be a misunderstanding between PopCap and Steam regarding the price.

  • George-Roper #60 3 years ago

    Gah, that's pretty shitty.

    Have to admit, I was worried the 7 quid price tag was a pre-order special after seeing the EG state 15 sheets. I couldn't get home fast enough to make sure it was bought before the unlock time.

  • OrgasmicMutton #61 3 years ago

    Popcap's best games are an object lesson in polish.

    They may be based on simple concepts whether it's other games (as in this case), pachinko (Peggle) or simple word games (I don't really need to state the obvious in brackets!) but all of these are presented with such charm, style and wit that they encourage you to stick with games which may otherwise have quickly become boring (though I don't think I could ever tire of the satisfaction of Bookworm Adventures!).

    It's the little touches that completely seal the deal for me - for a quick example of this just check the help option on the main menu - it's sure to raise a smile!

    i can't see myself pouring as many hours into this as Peggle or Bookworm but it's definitely another well presented, enjoyable, casual game.
    Edited by 1 at 06/05/09 @ 01:06

  • SteelPriest #62 3 years ago

    Wow, at first i was cynical. 6 hours play on my first go = get this game.

  • Rack #63 3 years ago

    They could easily add a widescreen aspect ratio by enabling you to see the zombie formation at all times. But then that would give widescreen gamers an unfair advantage. Still, seeing as this will inevitably be something like a 99.99% profit margin I wish they'd do at least one more resolution of graphics.

  • abitrubbish #64 3 years ago

    Skimmed the comments and I don't think anyone has called this electronic crack yet.

    This is electronic crack.


    There, that's better.

  • Harmonica #65 3 years ago

    "It will come to XBLA just as Peggle did, just wish it would hurry up!"

    Someone who works at PopCap who I asked about this, whilst cagey about giving anything away, said that the controls would be a difficult obstacle to translate to the console. I took that with a pinch of salt but I'm not sure if that was him saying it wasn't in the pipeline.
    Edited by 1 at 07/05/09 @ 04:25

  • lemonfist #66 3 years ago

    Hmm, when I try to go to the Plants vs. Zombies gamepage it just goes to the EG front page instead. WTF?

  • darkmorgado #67 3 years ago

    Better than Darkfall Online then?

  • Maykael #68 3 years ago

    I've finished this and it is great. It's more complex than it seems as I've devised several strategies in one playthrough and I haven't used all the plants yet. Oh and after the great adeventure mode (perfectly balanced getting harder without becoming frustrating) you've got tons of minigames and other challenges . PopCap have really outdone themselves this time.

    For casual haters: this thing doesn't seem so casual, now that i've finished it. It's got a lot of depth. And also Tall-Nut. Tall-Nut is the best unit in any game ever PERIOD.