Gameplay Today - Because You're Always Gaming

Plants vs. Zombies for the Nintendo DS is the latest iteration in the famous franchise by PopCap Games. Chances are - if you have not been occupying a grave for the past few years - you have probably come across some reference or version of Plants vs. Zombies. From quests in the popular MMORPG, World of Warcraft, to the catchy song Zombies on My Lawn, these little undead atrocities have limped their way into our gaming consciousness. Finally, with the expansion of the series to the DS platform, a new group of gamers who may not have tried the PC or iPhone versions can give this title a whirl.

The basic mechanics of Plants vs. Zombies are simple: collect sunlight in order to create plants and defeat the zombies. The first thing you do when you start Plants vs. Zombies DS is play the adventure mode in order to collect different seeds which are the weapons that you use in order to fight against the hordes of zombies that refuse to get off your lawn. As the levels progress, the game slowly introduces new seed types to bolster your defensive prowess while simultaneously teaching you how to play the game.

The gameplay breaks down to simply a tower defense type design where the zombies progress down multiple ‘lanes’ which constitute your lawn. You must collect sunlight to purchase plants that act as towers that shoot at zombies as they approach your house. Plants include things like nuts to wall a certain lane, snow pea shooters to slow down enemies, and cherry bombs to blow up groups of zombies just to name a few. You have one lawn mower on each part of the grid that represents your lawn sort of like a fail-safe in case the zombies somehow reach your home unexpectedly, but after that you are on your own.

The game controls very easily on the DS which makes gameplay a snap. Simply drag the seed packet you wish to plant to the place on your lawn or back lawn in which you want to plant it. If you make a mistake or want to change your wall of plants later there is as always a shovel to correct this. The real meat and potatoes of this game -despite the additional features- is the adventure mode. I especially like the variety of level conditions changing up the gameplay such as backyard with a pool, nighttime which requires you to use only sun generating plants to get more solar power, and heat wave which requires you to blow or talk into microphone to reinvigorate your plants.

The variety of enemies and plants that you receive throughout your adventure are what colors this game’s semi-humorous style. Once you receive the almanac at the end of one of the levels, be sure to read the entries on each zombie and seed that you encounter. They are both informative and humorous at times. The art itself is pleasant to look at and there are a myriad of zombie types ranging from the normal zombies that we are all familiar with to giant hulking beasts, football players, and ones with buckets on their heads. This game, although being about hordes of undead, is actually quite light-hearted and fun.

Great examples of this tone are the mini-games that you get to play after besting several levels. These include sports such as walnut bowling and are a nice relief to break up the more hectic gameplay of defending your house. Several other interesting content and mini-games included outside of adventure mode are a shoot em’ up style game, zombie baseball, zombie bowling and a whole bunch more. There is also a versus mode which puts one player in control of zombies generating brain power from gravestones and the other in the traditional plants role. This is a good distraction. Another kind of funky feature is creating your own ‘zombatar’... which is a zombie avatar that represents you the player. Yeah, it may be strange but overall it is fun because of how endearing the little zombies are. The final and more hardcore mode is survival mode which is kind of self-explanatory.

The creativity and simplicity of gameplay make this a great pick up and play title. If you have a long commute or simply have a ton of time to blow, Plants vs. Zombies is probably the most fun TD style game I have played outside of the Warcraft 3 custom stage editor. A large variety of achievements and collectibles alongside the adventure, mini-game, puzzle, and versus modes will keep you playing for a long time. Additionally, being a budget title means these little zombies will not be taking too big a bite out of your wallet either.