Gameplay: The game seems quite familiar at first. You defend your home with sets of construct-able land. The construction here would be your garden of deadly plants. That's where the game gets weird. You put down pea shooters to shoot, sun flowers to beam sun down as a solar economy, and others to do whatever their specialty is. Generally speaking, these plants defend their lane. With about 5 lanes, you'll be building up an army of plants in your backyard. There isn't much direct control, but you wont be sitting around bored. You'll be always building faster, and stronger ways to take down the zombies. They'll be pretty relentless in no time. Football zombies, dancing zombies, and traffic cone zombies wont let you leave your mouse idle for long. Freeze them, burn them, or just shoot their heads off depending on what plants are put before them. If they get through, most levels have lawnmowers at each lane wired as an emergency lane clearing device that'll give you a second chance. The way the game works is pretty easy to learn. Zombies get low on health once you see their arm falling, waves come in based on a bar you see on the screen, and the sounds are clear for understanding if a plant was lost. Night time changes the way things work, with mushroom plants being exclusive to them yet the sun light is absent producing a slower income. The fun lasts for about 60 levels in adventure but there is plenty to do other than the main mode, and going back to play it puts twists on the gameplay and allows you to keep your unlocked plants.
Mini-games, survival, a garden sim, and more put you through more than a simple play through on story. You'll be bowling zombies, playing as zombies, and playing through other pop cap games with a zombie spin on them in the mini-game area. Survival puts you through an interesting pace as you choose the plants you take, and then get to choose again for a harder wave of zombies while you can still keep whatever is on your garden. This is probably my favorite mode as it makes your more strategic, and sometimes gives your risky options. For example, if you have all your sunflowers set up and a good or even overdone money supply you can remove sunflower from your inventory for another weapon or defense plant. If they destroy what you had though, you'll lose all money supply and can't replace them unless you survive that round. The garden simulator, or zen garden, is a garden where you grow plants from the main game for cash. Give them water, fertilizer, and keep them happy with a number of tools like a music player. They produce little coins, and can be sold for big cash if you've taken care of them. This comes in handy for the game's shop. Sometimes you'll have to do some expanding, like buying a night garden for your mushrooms.
My only complaints for the game are very minor. While I enjoy the campaign mode, and understand the way its made replayable it also has the drawback of no level select. Want to completely bombard level one zombies with all you've got? To bad, have to beat the entire game again since you just got to level 2. Also the way things are locked down and shop prices are sky high until you complete the game kind of forces you to play the main mode first, which would usually be great. However in this case, it's a stab to the casual audience for obvious reasons and it can just be annoying sometimes. It clashes with the other flaw, and your stuck with a linear climb through 60 levels with few breaks (you get a couple of unlocked mini-games), and no level select. Once you beat the game its paradise. Until then, the same mode starts to ache around level 35 and you just want one survival match.... sorry, you'll have to do 25 more first.
Graphics: Do I really need to say anything? It's a 2D toony world made to just be universally pleasing. Nothing special or shiny, but it's impossible to point out a single flaw. It'll run well on any device imaginable, and the plants seem to have funny faces (Coffee bean's face is awesome). What's more to say?
Sounds: The sounds are in line with the graphics. Gulps when zombies eat stuff, They occasionally moan "brains", and music kicks in when times get intense. Not epic music or anything, just piano music setting in with the right tone. The music sinks in with your mind, and I have no complaints about it. So I think it works out quite well. The crazy man that helps you mumbles with text applied for words, and you really do understand him to be crazy with his mumbles just as his name suggests. Although I'm sure the credits music wont be to everyone's liking, it's certainly better than most boring game credits.
Gameplay: 9/10 The game is yet another one of pop caps classics. A defense game with charm, fun, and tons of modes and plants. While I don't agree with the way the main mode was worked in, locking out everything and having no level select, I think this is still a forgivable flaw considering how much enjoying there is in the total game.
Sounds: 9/10 Can't complain here. Basic sounds, classic zombie moaning, and it works with its graphics to create a sense of simple=fun.
Graphics: 9/10 Same as the sound. Basic 2D toon graphics that can please both the family and the hardcore zombie fan. I love the little faces on the plants to.
Replayability: 10/10 This game features plenty of modes, a great formula, and there isn't a single thing about this game that isn't fun the 3rd, 4th, or 5th time you've play it. I guess it gets old eventually like everything, but there is a big emphasis on "eventually".
Overall: 9/10 I don't have to tell you why. You'll believe it if you understand the rest of the reviews, or if you've ever picked up a popcap game before. Enjoy getting lost in this wonderful game, and then explaining why you didn't understand where all those hours went.
