23 Jun, 2011
Title: Plants vs. Zombies
Platform: Nintendo DSi
Developer: PopCap Games
Publisher: PopCap Games
TL;DR: A tower defense game that starts off a little weak but quickly builds momentum.
Family Friendly?: Click here to skip the detail and see if this game is right for your family!
I can never say I was a big fan of tower defense games. However, what really got to me in Plants vs. Zombies was just how visually appealing it was. Also, who doesn’t like a little zombie action?
In Plants vs. Zombies, the player has to place different types of plants and fungi, all of which have their own unique powers or special defence powers, around the house in order to stop a mass horde of zombies from devouring the brains (braAAaaaiinss) of the residents inside the house.
Zombies are coming into town in full force and they’re all targeting your house! It is up to you to protect your last line of dense against these undead nightmares – your garden. You must protect your garden by planting some rather odd (but useful) plants at your disposal. Some of the plants include pea shooters that spit green balls at the undead, hot tamales that burn everything in their path and Venus zombie traps. By plant seeds around in strategic locations around your lawn, you may be able to hold off the onslaught and keep them from entering your home and zombifying you!
The playing field is divided into horizontal lanes (reminded me quite a lot like bowling actually) and a zombie will only move towards your house along one lane (unless the zombie has ate a garlic and he can go anywhere he chooses).
It’s a very simple concept and, in fact, when you first play Plants vs. Zombies you may find it to be too laid back; too easy. But the real draw here is the incredible variety of plants (towers) and zombies. There are 48 kinds of plants with numerous offensive, defensive, and production capabilities, and 26 different zombies. Completing each level in the game will unlock a new plant or item to add to your arsenal. These constant rewards really keep you involved and will have you saying “just one more level” long after you initially thought there wasn’t much to the game.
As your arsenal increases in size, you have to choose which types of plants you’re going to take into each level. You’ll inevitably have favorites, but these decisions are also based on a sneak peek that you get of the zombies that are going to attack. If you see that some of the zombies are going to be attacking by floating over your garden suspended from balloons, for example, you need to make sure that you have a plant that can either puncture or blow away those balloons.
The currency for obtaining new plants is sunlight, with little sun icons appearing onscreen – or generated by sunflowers – for you to click on and collect as the carnage unfolds. There really isn’t anything else to the game than that, beyond a day/night cycle and the worry that a seed packet must recharge before you use it again.
Setting plants on your lawn, roof or pool is as simple as dragging a plant with your stylus and pulling away from the touch screen to drop it. Admittedly, it had been a few months since I played the PC version of Plants vs. Zombies, so I decided to go back and compare. Though the differences in control are subtle, I found the DSi version of the game to be easier to manipulate. Sliding with the stylus allows for faster planting, and I never found myself falling behind because of the controls. That being said, the plant sprites are pretty tiny, and on more than one occasion I accidentally planted in the wrong square. On the whole, however, I now much prefer playing the game on DSi.
Luckily, I don’t have to compromise when it comes to content, either. All of the previous features of Plants vs. Zombies are included in the DSi version, along with a few new mini games that make mostly smart use of the system’s unique features. Certain mini-game mechanics – being forced to yell into the microphone, for instance – I could live without, but most of what’s here is genuinely clever and fun.
Even though the DSi version is by far the least attractive the little pixelated protagonists are still bursting with character. The game is flattered by its screenshots though, as the animation is limited and there can be quite a bit of slowdown.
The problem is the cost of the game and its suitability to the platform. The iOS version is just $.99 and still the best, both visually and in terms of controls. At $19.99 it’s almost madness to buy this at retail, as a boxed game.
But the game is still much better and much cheaper on the iPhone and iPad, or indeed the original PC version. If you don’t have access to any of those formats though it’s still worth finding out what all the fuss is about.
Good times!
- It’s incredibly addictive to play and loads of fun.
- Many different options to choose from keeps the game from becoming redundant
- Great gamer for hardcore gamers and casual gamers and all in between alike
Bad times :(
- Out of all the platforms, the DSi version was the worst one.
- Like all tower defence games, it gets repetitive and at times, feels a little too easy.
Family Focus
It extremely depends on the child. If I was younger, I would probably be afraid of this game simply because I am (still) afraid of zombies. I think that any child less than 8-10 may struggle a little. Although the game does start off slow in order to not have such a huge learning curve, it can be a very new and challenging type of game for them. However, that being said – it’s extremely fascinating to play and even watch! I would definitely recommend this to any child that enjoys puzzle games, tower defense or just simply want a high quality game on the Nintendo DSi.
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