Plants vs. Zombies™ 2 - a worthy successor?

by Unknown at 6:13 PM
No comments

Features & Use

In Plants vs. Zombies™ 2, the entire game and mechanics are largely identical to the original, though the beginning of the game has been extended and improved. The player's mission is still to destroy and block different types of zombies using various plants, each with a different job.

The game is played in landscape mode where the zombies are constantly on the move from right to left, traversing a 9x5 grid which constitutes the playing field situated in front of a house, pyramid or other ‘place of residence’. Each of the five ‘rows’ of soil will receive waves of incoming undead and your job is to kill them (again) by placing various plants in the 40 squares available. As in the first version, the game's ‘currency’ is the sunlight that appears at regular intervals and literally falls from the sky. In order to get more rays of sun, the player can plant sunflowers which themselves produce sunshine and this is the only way to get enough plants to defeat the flooding army of zombies.

Levels in Plants vs Zombies © AndroidPIT

The number of different plants has increased a lot, along with the various types and amount of zombies, which keeps the game interesting. I feel though that the entire game process could be faster, especially in the early levels. There are also some tactical elements of the first game which have been removed and might disappoint some veterans.

Let’s talk briefly about the stories and levels within the game. Plants vs Zombies takes place around the theme of time travel, so the player is lead to various adventures, such as in Ancient Egypt and the epoch of pirates, for example. Each new scenario brings new graphics which serves their purpose well of keeping the game fresh. The zombies also get an ‘outfit change’ every time as well, like in Egypt where they are followers of Ra, the Sun God, and try to steal your sunlight.

There are a bunch of new plants and zombies. © AndroidPIT

Though this isn’t the biggest change to the game, it’s worth mentioning that now you can buy fertilizers and other stuff with in-app purchases. However, with the correct tactics, you can enjoy the game entirely for free.

Screen & Controls

Plants vs. Zombies™ 2 is a feast for the eyes when it comes to the graphics. The color composition and interaction is completely smooth. The animation looks beautiful: its comic style, combined with the background music, creates a pretty impressive gaming experience.

You get a tutorial in the beginning of new levels. © AndroidPIT Speed & Stability

Plants vs. Zombies™ 2 worked on the Nexus 4 fluidly and without any lags or crashes.

Price/Performance Ratio

Plants vs. Zombies™ 2 is available for free. In the game you can buy different upgrades and new plants. The price for the some is absurdly high.

Final Verdict

Plants vs. Zombies™ 2 is fun and lives up the original game and I can comfortably recommend it to any player profile. On the other hand, the in-app purchases are a separate issue, but this doesn’t prevent the use of the well-thought out strategy to attain success. All in all, it’s a good application that lives up to the franchise with a few improvements and theme variations, all of which add up to an excellent cure for boredom.

(originally by Nima Begli)