Plants Vs. Zombies: Replanted Review – Classic Strategy Rises From The Dead

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I’ve always been a huge Plants Vs. Zombies fan, and it’s kind of shocking that we haven’t seen a ton of games copy its style. It really put PopCap on the map and led to all sorts of cool stuff – toys, comics, even team shooters! But even though people call it a tower defense game, the way it plays still feels totally unique. Now, with Plants Vs. Zombies: Replanted, they’ve given the original a really nice update. It doesn’t add a ton of new stuff, but honestly, the core game is just so special and still holds up amazingly well.

If you’re new to Plants vs. Zombies, the basic idea is surprisingly simple: you defend your house from zombies using an army of plants. You collect sunlight to grow seeds into plants across five rows, stopping zombies as they walk towards you. You’ll need to balance growing sunflowers for more sunlight with building defenses against the approaching zombies. If zombies reach your plants, they’ll destroy them, so keeping them at bay is key! The game keeps things interesting by adding new challenges, like darker levels with less sunlight, or pools that require special lily pad plants. Plus, you’ll encounter a constant stream of different zombie types, forcing you to adapt your plant defenses.

These zombies aren’t scary at all – they’re actually pretty silly and even a little cute! Each one has a cartoonish look to show what kind it is, like wearing a propeller hat or a disco costume. Some zombies are tougher to defeat, for example, one with a cone or bucket on its head needs extra hits to remove the headgear. Others, like the football zombie, are heavily armored and charge at you faster. Each type has its own unique traits.

The game has a cheerful, welcoming feel despite the frantic action of defending your home. You’ll be managing a lot at once! If zombies break through your plant defenses—and your last-ditch lawnmower attempt—they’ll eat your brains and you’ll have to start the level over. Luckily, Crazy Dave is there to help. He’s a recurring character, a bit of a wacky doomsday prepper who was surprisingly correct about everything. He sells you new plant seeds and upgrades to improve your defenses. Some of his jokes haven’t held up perfectly – they’re a little awkward rather than offensive – but it doesn’t ruin the fun.

This remastered version of the game gives it a fresh, high-definition look, making all the plants and zombies more vibrant than ever. The characters still look familiar if you’ve played before, but are significantly improved for modern screens. While it’s a nice visual update, it’s not a complete overhaul like a remake with entirely new artwork. One area that feels a bit unfinished is the ending cutscene. It features a cute song and dancing zombies, but instead of re-rendering the video, it appears the original was simply placed inside a small, blurry window resembling a TV screen, making it difficult to enjoy.

Players who’ve spent a lot of time with Plants vs. Zombies will find the original campaign familiar and relaxing, but it’s not very difficult. On a recent playthrough, I realized that once you figure out a good strategy, you can usually win by relying on a few key plants, only occasionally switching things up for specific challenges. I ended up not using about half of the available seed packets! This made the campaign feel a bit too long, with many levels that could be beaten using the same approach. However, I think new players will have a different experience.

Experienced Plants vs. Zombies players will find some fresh challenges. A new Cloudy Day mode makes sunlight scarce and occasionally puts your sunflowers to sleep, forcing you to plan your defenses carefully. Rest In Peace mode is a permadeath challenge where you must complete the entire game without losing a single life, and with only one lawnmower available per level. Beyond that, there are plenty of other fun modes like puzzles and the Zen Garden, plus co-op and player-versus-player options. Most of these unlock as you play through the main campaign, so you’ll need to finish the game to enjoy everything it offers.

The game also includes some delightful hidden surprises for both longtime and new Plants vs. Zombies players. You can customize how things look with options like classic zombie and peashooter designs. I even stumbled upon one secret that made me chuckle – but I won’t ruin the fun by telling you what it is!

Plants vs. Zombies remains a fantastic game, and the ‘Replanted’ version proves why. The core gameplay is still incredibly fun, and the added new modes offer a fresh challenge for longtime players. Although some updates feel a bit basic, it’s great to have the original game back and working well on today’s devices. I’m happy it’s readily available and expect to be playing for a long time.

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2025-10-24 22:13