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Classroom Facts
Plants vs. Zombies revolves around a few key concepts inspired by real-life facts; plants need sunlight to grow, for instance, and during nighttime levels sunlight is scarcer, though mushroom-type plants can thrive. Any real-world facts are small in number, though, particularly in light of the fact that the game features a number of hilarious and impossible types of plants battling against a zombie horde.
Some basic math is required to succeed at the game, especially concerning the production and use of the sunlight resource, an extremely important aspect of the game.
Creativity & Imagination
By the Player:
Players choose their own plant types to use before each level. Players are given basic information – time of day, layout of the field and the types of enemies – and are tasked with choosing their army of plants in response. Players are free to use their own strategies or favorite plants whenever they choose. There are plenty of situations where some plants are clearly more valuable than others, but there are always enough choices that players never have their hands held.
Players also have freedom to experiment in each stage. The six rows of the player’s yard can be used to place plants freely, and the order and arrangement of plants determines their effectiveness as large waves of zombies arrive. Losing to the zombies simply resets the player to the beginning of the current stage, allowing them to choose a new set of plants and jump back in.
By the Developer:
Plants vs. Zombies has a memorable charm to it. Its character design is most often intended to amuse, as is its general premise, and on most fronts it succeeds. The game also includes a memorable, if small, original soundtrack.
As far as its mechanics, Plants vs. Zombies has certainly come up with some new material. While tower defense-style games have been around for awhile, Plants vs. Zombies adds some new spins to it. The grid-based system and relatively small amount of space to work in are interesting, as is the focus on defending each row of the yard individually. There are also an unusually high number of units available, and as the game progresses entirely new concepts are introduced. Players begin by defending their yard during the day, and eventually are defending their backyard – which includes a pool – from nocturnal attacks.
The game also includes several extra minigames and special challenges, which are unlocked as the game progresses. Often these unique games are introduced during the main adventure mode, and later on they are unlocked with greater depth. These help spice up the progression of standard levels that make up the game.
The varied plant and zombie types and mechanics and the constant introduction of new ideas help keep Plants vs. Zombies fresh from start to finish.
Business Skills
Business skills are an extremely important aspect of Plants vs. Zombies. The plants primary role concerns sunlight, the resource used to create new plants. Each plant has its own sunlight cost, an important factor when deciding which plants to choose in each level. A small amount of sunlight is generated naturally, but the bulk of the players resources will come from their own plants. Sunflowers produce sunlight over time, as do a handful of other units, and these are the most important plants to have. A back column of sunflowers in necessary to keep generating enough sunlight to bring out powerful plants, though choosing exactly how many sunflowers to use must be handled delicately, especially as space is limited as well. As a level gets going, choosing which plants or areas of the garden to work on first is another important decision, as in most cases resources are limited from the beginning of a level to the end.
Additionally, players can purchase upgrades from a vendor, such as new plant types or the ability to bring more plant types into a level. These are purchased with money earned by completing certain minigames and finishing stages without letting any zombies pass, as well as by picking up coins dropped by defeated enemies. These upgrades are expensive, and players will need to save up over several levels to get many of them.
People Skills
Plants vs. Zombies features only a single-player mode, and the adventure mode included doesn’t really feature any significant narrative, instead offering level after level with perhaps a very brief dialogue in between.
Problem Solving
Problem solving in Plants vs. Zombies revolves around choosing which plants to use in each stage and then where to place them as the stage continues on. Before each stage players can see which kinds of zombies will appear before choosing the handful of plant types that they’re allowed to bring with them each level. As different plant types deter different types of zombies – balloon zombies require needle-shooting cacti, while the presence of jumping zombies can be remedied by bringing along larger (but more expensive) defensive plants – players must choose which plants to use carefully. There are dozens of types of plants introduced over the course of the game, and players have free reign to select any combination of them, for the most part. This leads players to experiment, finding their own strategies and favorites as they progress.
Every few stages a special round opens up – one has players using walnuts to bowl for zombies, and another has players receiving seeds randomly instead of choosing their own – and these fast-paced minigames offer a great contrast to the original levels, using the general mechanics in new ways to create new experiences. The standard levels, though, make up the meat of the game.
By the time a stage is well underway, things can get pretty frantic. Players need to catch falling sunlight as well as the sunlight released by plants while planting seeds in reaction to what is happening in the field. Players are also eventually put on the look out for coins dropped by enemies, which can be used for various upgrades. Later levels get more and more frantic, introducing changes in terrain and plenty of new zombies. Players need to be able to think quickly and react to what happens while keep a strategic mind in place, a multitasking balance that the game strikes nicely again and again.
Simulation
Plants vs. Zombies is not a simulation game.
Popularity
Plants vs. Zombies has been reviewed very highly since its release, receiving praise for its addictive nature, clever design, memorable style and accessibility.
Controls & Options
Plants vs. Zombies features a few standard audio and visual options. There are no difficulty levels to choose between, though a number of minigames and alternate game modes are unlocked as the game continues.
Tips
Plants vs. Zombies received an E10+ from the ESRB with descriptors for Animated Blood and Cartoon Violence. |