Plants vs Zombies proves what’s old is new again, or at least still good when it’s old
It’s been years — maybe a decade? — since I last played Plants vs Zombies. That original tower defence MASTERPIECE was pivotal for the genre because not only did it bring terrific humor and personality but it boiled down the concept to its simplest, purest form. It was the kind of game that was so easy to understand that it was brilliant in how it slowly taught us players to become better as more and more challenge was thrown at us.
Over the years that original game was replaced with several free-to-play and 3D shooter versions, so much so that my own preteen nephews love the IP but have no idea that it was based on that single screen, five lane backbone. Plants vs Zombies is good, but that’s onlye because Plants vs Zombies was GREAT.
And, now it’s back.
Plants vs Zombies: Replanted is still that old game. That means it has all of the classic, good play, but also some of the stuff from that era that maybe hasn’t aged quite as well, like the UI. The simplicity has kept the gameplay pristine and purposeful; don’t mess with what works, don’t alter (near) perfection. It still feels fresh by circling back to that original play, likely because the genre has evolved a long ways and become exponentially complicated since then.
The only real gameplay changes are small but meaningful Quality of Life improvements. It’s nice to now be able to speed up the game to up to 2.5X, so that I can adjust to how I play. Is it hectic? I can slow it down. Am I just farming sun? I can blast it all the way. It’s perhaps my favorite welcome addition, and I’ve used it in almost every level.
The visuals are cleaned up, with the higher resolution working well on both a smaller screen (handheld) and a bigger one (on my laptop and TV). The audio is also seemingly boosted and clearer.
The game’s push towards staying as true to the original does have its drawbacks. Some of the UI is absolutely tiny in handheld mode (I played on both the Switch and Steamdeck). That extends to some of the new features, too, as the speed adjustment is a tiny arrow on the bottom right of the screen and my finger doesn’t always tap its hit zone well enough. Some of the enemies also now feel a little more overpowered early on, like the scuba and the fence shielded zombies which defeating or slowing down rely a lot on the energy we can farm and the environment we can create.
Replanted brings in some of the additions that came to the game over the years, even those that never made it to the West, like co-op and PvP. Because this is a linear game the newer modes are also welcomed as ways to extend the experience. The “Cloudy Day” adds weather effects that can slow down or hamper the amount of sun and what plants are available, and a new permadeath mode means that we have to survive as best as we can with only six seed slots, which can get really tricky later in the game. I have to admit that it’s been a struggle to get past just the early parts of even the pool areas and I have yet to complete the mode, but that challenge has me wanting to come back a few more times.
Playing on the Switch 2 especially is nice, as several control options are available. Using touch controls in handheld mode I can just drag and drop the plants to where I need them, and when the console is docked I can use a controller and even the platform’s mouse mode, which is surprisingly adept. I’ve played the game on the Steamdeck, PC and the Switch 2, and the edition on Nintendo’s platform feels like the most complete.
As an added bonus the game includes art from across the series, with comparisons showing how some of the characters, plants and zombies have changed. For fans who are really hardcore into the games they may appreciate seeing the evolutions.
There are already Plants vs Zombies up-res and adjusted versions floating around on aging consoles and Steam, and Replanted isn’t necessarily a groundbreaking remake, but it does bring a cleaned up, enjoyable take on that old classic. Sometimes, when the original is great we don’t want to do too much to mess with success. And with Plants vs Zombies it’s the purity and straightforwardness that makes it successful. Jumping back in with Replanted feels natural, bringing back all of my old strategies and play methods, as if I had never stopped playing. I was sucked right back in, right back to building my zig zags and sunflower walls; it feels good to be touching the virtual grass again, even if I’ll need to mow a zombie or two to get to it.
It’s still Plants vs Zombies, and that’s not really a bad thing.
This review is based on Switch 2 and Steam codes sent to SideQuesting by the publisher. Images and video courtesy publisher.
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