A major factor of a video game's appeal often involves its aesthetic. Games are an audiovisual medium, so it makes sense to focus on this aspect in the marketing and in facets that don't involve providing a demo. This is especially important in games that strive to establish a distinctive tone, and when a game has a slower pace that needs to be doubly reinforced so that the stylings don't wear on the player. Games that succeed in relaxing the player are generally well-regarded and looked back upon fondly, Minecraft and Stardrew Valley being notable examples, and the appeal of their aesthetics is self-evident. Plants vs Zombies is a game that occupies a similar space in gaming, and for its aesthetics alone I could recommend it, but it has a strong enough core in its gameplay that I feel it's a classic for any casual and puzzle gamer.

Personal Score

this criteria uses the DecentFilms rating formula.

Letter-Grade Recommendability: A
Time Played: 32 hours
Achievement Progress: 18/21 (85%)
Artistic/Entertainment Value - ★★★★★
Gameplay Value - ★★★★☆
Moral/Spiritual Value - 0
Age Appropriateness: Kids & Up

Plants vs Zombies, which I will abbreviate to PvZ for brevity, takes on the zombie craze of the 2000s from the lens of the tower defense genre. Zombies attack in waves, fluctuating in number, and it's up to the player to defend their home with an assortment of strange and lethal plants. Tower defense works surprisingly well with zombies, as tower defense games involve the whittling-down of an enemy horde before they reach a goal, and so the objective here feels natural: you don't want the zombies to get in your house. And, in true tower-defense format, the assortment of deadly plants at your disposal serve as a versatile defense that challenges your strategic thinking.

I'll get back to the aesthetics of PvZ later, since I think it's worth getting into what you should expect as a player. I am no expert in the tower defense genre - my only other experience being Arknights - so I cannot say how this compares to other offerings. What I can say, however, is that most of the modes in this game are not particularly difficult, and you get the hang of the mechanics very early on. Despite this, however, you have to have some active strategy in play for the duration of each round, and that means that this is a very active game. Engagement is one thing, especially if the game is incredibly easy, but every round of PvZ involves you scrambling to build up your defenses and look forward to future attacks. That activity, which is constantly being challenged and rewarded, gives me the confidence to recommend the game for its default game loop on its own.

That being said, there are several modes to play here. The most straightforward is certainly Adventure Mode, which is where you'll cut your teeth on the mechanics and various strategems over the course of 5 stages and 50 levels; you'll unlock the vast majority of your plants there. Mini-Games are the weakest mode, involving pretty menial games such as Wall-Nut Bowling and Zombiquarium which are more casual filler than actual use of what you've learned. Survival Mode, therefore, is the next step and the natural evolution from Adventure, where you get to settle into the game's Endless mode and take on increasingly difficult waves until you're overwhelmed. I completed these modes in relatively short order and I do enjoy opening up Endless mode on a whim so I can play and harvest coins.

The hardest mode, however, is easily Puzzle Mode, featuring two particular series of challenges. Vasebreaker is the weaker of the two and relies pretty strongly on random selection, breaking open vases around the garden that either contain plants for the player to set or release zombies that you have to scramble to deal with. I have yet to get the achievement-breaking streak of 15 clears, though I have gotten close, and there's I don't believe there's much room for improvement. "I, Zombie", on the other hand, is the culmination of your understanding of the mechanics by having the player play offense as the zombie horde. Deploying zombies requires suns, the same as it does for plants, but the zombie forces cannot harness sunlight on their own, meaning you have to target sunflowers to gain the resources you need to stay in the game and deploy more powerful zombies. At first this mode frustrated me with how it turned the established mechanics on its head, but once I began to analyze the defenses of each level I began to see the cracks and exploit them with carefully-placed zombies attacks; the result was repeatingly cathartic strings of victories culminating in the respective achievement. "I, Zombie" only strengthened my strategies going forward and I definitely recommend it as a final lesson in PvZ's mechanics.

There isn't much else to this humble game outside of the Zen Garden, which despite attempting to relax failed to amuse me. During the general gameplay you'll randomly receive a potted plant for your Zen Garden, a separate mode where you water and feed plants and receive coins as their needs are met. I find this mode to be pretty tedious, as there isn't much you're doing outside of sitting around and farming coins. Coins are definitely valuable, as you can use them at the Shop to buy powerful plants as well as other resources, but you can harvest coins a-plenty by just playing the normal modes. PvZ isn't frantic enough to warrant downtime; as active as its gameplay is I didn't find myself needing an in-game break. The mode is routinely a notification I have to take care of, and I dislike leaving notifications unchecked, and that makes Zen Garden a chore that I would not mind being removed from the game. I know that it has its fans, however, so perhaps you may find you enjoy it more than I do.

With the gameplay covered I can confidently praise the aesthetics. I'm sure the accompanying screenshots in this review have said a good deal already, so I will mention spare positives.

I do like the way that gore is handled here. It's cartoonish to the point that I find it appropriate for younger players, and I found a good deal of satisfaction in watching the monsters fall apart under the botanical barrages. The soundtrack is also very much a high point; composed by Laura Shigihara, the predominantly-piano melodies are simple and welcoming even when they are foreboding. My personal favorite track is Braniac Maniac, the final boss theme, which amps up the intensity just right for the battle. I should mention that the final boss battle is very good on its own as well, and the music does a great job at selling its scale with its mix of synths and steady low riffs.

Plants vs Zombies earns the fondness that it has garnered since 2009. It's comforting and fun while also being a very active challenge at times, and that gives it high marks in my book. It's short, but that means the essence is distilled down to a level that I would say puts it above other comfy games for me. I intend to get the Xbox 360 version in the future so I can share the title with family and enjoy the exclusive 2-player versus mode, and I think it's worth that additional purchase.