Finding Entertainment in Plants vs. Zombies

You have nowhere to run to. Zombies are closing in on you; and there aren’t any weapons you can use to defend yourself. What to do? Plants vs. Zombies provides you with a single option: to strategically surround your home with a select number of armed plants. The plants and the enemy zombies both come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, and are gradually added into the game as you play.

Most of the time, you’re either on your front lawn or at your backyard, where the garden is a bit bigger and it even has a pond running down the middle. These are divided into grids, and you can put any plant of your choice on each square. The zombies will then trudge, sprint and swim toward your house, while you put up your defenses that can include up to 50 different plants; however you can’t use more than 10 different species in a level. You use sunflowers to collect the sun that serves as the currency in the game. Wall-nuts defend against zombies while they’re still undamaged. Potato mines explode when zombies unknowingly step on them. Peashooters obviously shoot peas. As your defense expands, you have to select the kinds of plants you’re taking into each level. This requires you to think of a smart strategy and come up with the most effective combination of plants to protect your home.

The game adds replay value by tossing in minigames. These can range from the simple ones, where the plants available for the map are already picked out, to the unusual ones that involve going bowling with wall-nuts. These tend to pop up in the game itself, with the player having the option to skip them if they are so inclined. There are 20 different minigames available, some of which are twists on classic types of gameplay. These include fighting invisible zombies and an odd combination of plants and “Bejeweled,” as well as the option of taking a crack at the zombie-making process in the zombiquarium.

Unfortunately, the multiplayer mode can’t be played online, but it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it with a friend. If you’re playing as the plants, the only difference of competitive and solo play is that you need to attack motionless zombies on the right of the screen, while setting up the defense of your home.

However, if you’re playing as the zombie, you have to select the best of your kind to attack the house and protect your fellow creatures. Though you can only choose up to 5 per level, you can still pick out 18 kinds of zombies for your strategic plan. If you go for a custom made game which gives you the option to choose what kinds you want, you can include some damaging munchers in lineup. Your selection includes catapult zombies that maneuver vehicles equipped with long-range weapons; trashcan zombies that can be a tad dense but have a lot of weapons; and Digger zombies that dig under the garden and then attack from behind. On the other hand, if you opt for the quick-play versus option, both players can only use the basic types.