I have been waiting for this game for a long time. 

PopCap’s Plants VS. Zombies was one of the greatest hits on mobile during the early 2010s before free-to-play games took over that market. It was on other platforms too, and even won game of the year in 2009. For years I wondered why PopCap (now owned by Electronic Arts/EA) never took the opportunity to remaster the game. It should be an easy win. There wasn’t even a PC version available in HD!

Well, after 16 years, we finally have a new version of this classic tower defense game designed for modern hardware. It’s got widescreen support at a 4K resolution, as well as new modes and scrapped content from the original, all at the low price of $20. I actually played the original version on Steam less than a year ago, so I should be able to compare the new and old easily. Has the series made a triumphant return, or is it truly headed to the grave?

Gameplay

The original designer of this game, George Fan, had set out with the goal to make a game that could be played by people of all skill levels. Thus, Plants VS. Zombies is incredibly intuitive: zombies come in from the right, headed towards your house, so you’ve got to place plants in front of your house to stop them. You can purchase those plants with sun, the singular resource used in gameplay. And since your lawn is separated into rows and tiles, there’s little guessing on optimal placements and a greater focus on resource management and quick decisions.

It all makes for an incredibly solid gameplay loop, with each level lasting just a few minutes. The main campaign doesn’t drag on, either – there’s only 50 levels, almost all of which unlock a new plant upon completion. Combined with 5 different environments and dozens of zombie types, you are strongly encouraged to constantly change your strategy. 

The low number of levels does mean that you can beat this game in only a couple hours. Thankfully, this game is absolutely loaded with minigames, optional collectibles, and achievements for you to enjoy. Why not try your hand at Wall-nut bowling, or play as the Zombies in I, Zombie challenges? Using money that you collect from the various modes (as well as the campaign) you can purchase plants to raise in your Zen Garden, or buy upgrades for the campaign!

This remaster even sports new modes not seen in the original, including cloudy day and R.I.P. mode. Both of these make things a bit harder, and R.I.P. mode has you play through the whole campaign over again with one life and one mower. There are two-player co-op and versus modes, and the fast-forward feature from Plants Vs. Zombies 2 is here, too!

The original Plants VS. Zombies had top-tier gameplay and I’m glad to say that it was preserved here, and even improved a slight bit with the addition of new modes. If there’s one complaint I do have about the gameplay, it’s that the main campaign is really, really easy. Yeah, that’s how the original was too, but I doubt most people will fail a level even once. I sort of wish R.I.P. mode was available from the get-go.

Graphics

I had always imagined that a PvZ remaster would come with a graphics overhaul, but PopCap decided to stick very close to the source material here. The iconic look of the original game has been preserved, and aside from a handful of small changes (moreso in the menus) it really just looks like the 2009 version but in HD. 

Zombies are ugly but not grotesque, and the plants are colorful, interesting, and silly. Many of the designs are based on puns, such as the Wall-nut and Zomboni. However, the animation is less expressive than in future games, so the lawn might seem a bit lifeless if you’re used to Plants Vs. Zombies 2.

Now, if you’ve been paying attention to online discourse, you might be aware of accusations that AI was used in the process of upscaling these graphics. I have not seen any evidence of that playing the game, although I have noticed graphical issues. Some plants have artifacts on their sprites and zombie arms or heads sometimes have sporadic movement after hitting the ground. Marigolds in the Zen Garden only grow in white, unlike the original PC version where they could vary in color (although this has since been restored in a patch). Worst of all, the purple filter used in the R.I.P. mode leaves behind huge artifacts on the lawn that cannot be ignored.  

Considering that issues remain even after several post-launch patches, I don’t doubt that this remaster was rushed to some extent. They don’t ruin the experience for me, and shouldn’t bother most people much at all, but it’s disappointing to see, considering the base game is really pretty simple compared to everything else EA develops these days. 

Music

The original soundtrack composed by Laura Shigihara is back and great as ever. It’s on streaming services and I’ve been listening to it a lot over the past year. It fits the gameplay perfectly, and even increases in intensity as large zombie waves appear. Easily a 10/10 soundtrack. 

Telemetry Time

Why, oh why, do I have to accept the EA privacy policy upon launching this singleplayer, one-time-purchase game? I pay twenty dollars for a video game, and upon launching it I find that I have to  consent to disclosing personal data to Electronic Arts before I can enjoy it? I’m not even sure if they are collecting data with this game, but the fact that this is in there at all is ridiculous. George Fan never wanted this.

..Oh right, the faith perspective.

Faith Perspective 

All the gardening you’re doing in Plants Vs. Zombies make for a good reminder about the great gifts given to us in nature. It may seem silly to think about, but the many plants created by God have helped humanity in countless ways – perhaps even more impressively than taking down zombies. 

Lots of the drugs we take today are made from plants in some way. From treating our headaches (willow tree) to fighting cancer and malaria (sweet wormwood), the medicinal applications of plants are plentiful. And to this day, civilization remains dependent on millions of farms growing food to sustain us (and snack on while we play video games. Thank you, Doritos). 

Plants even make an appearance in the Mass — for example grapes, which are used to make the wine. And the priest turns it into the Blood of Christ! In the offertory before the consecration, we hear him say:

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the wine we offer you: fruit of the vine and work of human hands, It will become our spiritual drink.

After playing this game, consider taking a walk outside and see if you can find any plants that served as inspiration for the ones in this game. Take a moment to observe their beauty and complexity. Thank God for the wonders of his creation, and for the stewardship we’ve been given over them. 

Conclusion

Plants Vs. Zombies: Replanted is a good-enough remaster of the original game. It’s got some problems for sure, and I imagine it would have been better handled if PopCap were not owned by EA. But the core of what made the original game so great is still there and now in HD, which is what matters the most for me. For just 20 bucks, I’d say it’s worth the experience even at the base price.

About Catoons