Coming to Club Casual – 3rd September
I first heard a whisper that PopCap (Bejeweled, Peggle, Zuma) was developing a game about Zombies sometime in January 2008. A Zombie game? I was sceptical! The walking dead were (and still are) a far cry from the sweet, innocent cartoon heroines so popular in the time management games and even further from the hidden object games that dominated the top game charts some eighteen months ago. But I was intrigued. I waited patiently with baited breath. Finally, the first real glimpse, a catchy little music video somewhat reminiscent of the Portal credits song, “Still Alive” . (see if you can pick the similarities)
Amusing as the video was (is) I still felt the game to be a brave choice with its glaring similarities to b-grade zombie comedies of which I’m not a fan.
So before I offer my opinion on Plant vs Zombies, let me briefly outline the premise.
In true ‘tower defense’ style there’s a mob of enemies, the brain-loving zombies, trying to cross the screen (your lawn) to your home. The goal is to stop the enemies using whatever arsenal you have at your disposal, in this case, 49 different species of plants, each with their own, zombie-dispatching quality.
The first few rounds of the game are quite straight-foward. The enemy zombies are few, slow and brittle. A simple shot from a ‘pea-shooter’ is enough to knock off a head or an arm, gradually reducing the encroaching army to little piles of dust. As the game progresses the zombies get more cunning. There are two-dozen different zombies in total ranging from pole-jumpers to those armoured with helmets or screen-door shields. Simple pea-shooters no longer effective, each round offers a new species of plant to help counter their cunning.
Herein lies the strategy. Using little, collectible suns as currency, the most appropriate available species must be ‘purchased’ and then planted in the most effective position to counter the attack. The game also features a cast of crazy characters, your neighbors, and a bunch special weapons to help you out.
In true PopCap style the attention to detail is superb. The animations are slick and smooth if, in the case of the zombies, a little gruesome. This attention to detail carries through into the level design, unusual mini-games and two additional modes of play ensuring that the game offers lots of content and great replay value.
Did Plants vs Zombies live up to its promise to help me ’soil my plants’? Possibly not…but you have to agree that it’s a clever marketing slogan! What Plants vs Zombies did offer though was many hours of good, challenging fun. While there may be people who take exception to the risky theme I found the game’s sense of humour and unwillingness to take itself too seriously refreshing. It’s one of those ‘must-own’ games that manages to capture that elusive quality that inspires one to ’spread the word’. I applaud PopCap for once again dancing to the beat of their own drum, defying the trends to create their own unique take on genre to make it their own!
