“Plants vs. Zombies 2” continues to keep the game attached to its roots, maintaining its classic and cartoony visuals after receiving critical acclaim back in 2009.
With just a few improvements made to its game play, the formula is the same. The player’s purpose is to plant seeds while a wave of zombies attack. However, this time around more plants have been added that have special abilities and the battlefield changed to a front yard. It is now a journey through time and space more precisely, the Wild West, ancient Egypt and the pirate seas.
“Plants vs. Zombies 2” is free-to-play and takes any opportunity to sell to the player many of its different content, which ranges from items such as old plants, exploding chilies and snow peas that increase your life expectancy in the game.
Some of the good ideas that “Plants vs. Zombies 2” added to its formula are a narrative and the Star challenges. The player beats the enemy with a fixed amount of plants and restricts the gamer to plant on certain spots.
Other changes are based on the boards themselves. For example, in the Wild West, railroads have been added to the level. These allow shifting a plant up or down, as if it was on a cartwheel giving a new sense of strategy to each level.
Moreover, “Plants vs. Zombies 2” adds two gameplay mechanics, which are plant food and power-ups. Collected during the game and used whenever the player desires, the food is used to unleash their super-attack power.
On the other hand, power-ups are “all-mighty” attacks that sway enemies completely by using in-game money, while useful, it is unnecessary and defeats the purpose of the game.
However, this addition can be fully ignored and it is not required to enjoy the game.
Another thing that made the sequel feel different from the original version is that in several levels, the player will be stuck with a definite set of plants, meaning that the players can’t choose their own weapons, changing the strategy completely. Whether it is planned or not, it can go both ways: add a challenge to the game by forcing the player to change tactics or simply make it worse because the plant army doesn’t suffice.
“Plants vs. Zombies 2” can be played without paying any real dollars and it will surely guarantee some good levels to the player. Still, it is not the same when the player has to beat the game without some of the most enjoyable weapons. It can become quite frustrating at times because it feels as if the game is punishing the player for not buying their content.
Overall, “Plants vs. Zombies 2” is a good sequel that really deserves old and new fans alike to try it out. It is free, and if you don’t really mind the purchasable content, then this game will definitely give players an enjoyable time with challenging levels and new improvements.
Leonardo Montañez may be reached at [email protected].
