Call it the sentiment of an aging millennial, but playing Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted makes me feel a little more at ease. In addition to updating the original’s brilliant fusion of puzzle gameplay and simple tower-defense, it serves as a reminder of how charming and oddball games were in the late 2000s. With the addition of additional content, quality-of-life enhancements, and features from past ports, developer PopCap Games is back to give this classic another well-earned moment in the sun. Nevertheless, Replanted finds it difficult to strike a balance between updating and maintaining the original’s appearance. By doing this, it offers a patchy remaster of Plants vs. Zombies that is the most comprehensive version ever made, but it also seems less polished in the most important areas.
PvZ’s attraction stems from its upbeat and enjoyable atmosphere, which is similar to an afternoon Nickelodeon cartoon show. According to the series, Replanted never tries to explain how this peculiar aspect of the zombie apocalypse came to be or, even worse, how the plants developed enhanced sentience to defend themselves. And to be honest, that still works out well because the Plants vs. Zombies series has been successful just based on vibes. In order to keep the absurdity building, which it does in spades, the tone always remains loose and quick with its premise.
Everything from the 2009 PC version is back in the Replanted edition, along with almost all of the enhancements from the various console and mobile ports that came after, including content from the PvZ game’s now-canceled Chinese release. Even the competitive and local cooperative modes from the console ports, which I didn’t play the first time, are back. This is why Replanted is such a great chance to reconnect with the original and the numerous improvements it has received over the years.
The way that Plants vs. Zombies combined real-time strategy with the experience of assembling puzzle pieces on a table was what made the game so captivating. It truly focuses on the fulfillment that comes from identifying a certain strategy and modifying your units as necessary. It’s really captivating to watch when the action starts and your groups of peashooters and walnuts are defending themselves from zombie drivers, zombie quarterbacks, and other strange undead. I was instantly captivated by it again, even though I had played it a good sixteen years prior. I strategically placed my plants to keep the zombies away from my house.
I played it a lot sixteen years ago, yet I was still instantly captivated by it again
Replanted doesn’t do much to address the few instances of unanticipated difficulty spikes that occurred in the original, but overall, the challenge remained fair and relaxed. Granted, the campaign may be quite breezy, which is why many of the unexpected difficulties occur. The tough new zombie units that I encountered caught me to be caught off guard during the more challenging parts. Overall, I thought the challenges were manageable, but they may still be quite difficult at unexpected times.
Replanted tries to bring unique elements and change things up that haven’t been seen before. The ability to speed up battles is a much-needed addition for those who are returning. The difficulty of making combat feel a little more frenetic at that increased pace is added by the ability to fast-forward animations by three extra steps. In general, it was beneficial for reducing the amount of time spent on the missions’ waiting periods. One drawback of this, though, is that, sadly, altering the speed also changes the music. Even though I enjoyed the faster-paced reworked tracks, the soundtrack has unfortunately lost the iconic music that intensified as the combat got more intense.
PvZ’s version of a permadeath run for the main adventure, Rest in Peace Mode, is one of the most innovative additions. You will fail instantly and be sent back to the start of a run if even one zombie manages to get past your home’s weakened defenses. Conceptually, it is a great fit for PvZ’s approach, and I did experience the tension that comes with the more challenging missions. It is a strange decision if this is meant to be the most challenging mode in PvZ, though, because allowing you to bring in all of your unlocked plants and seed slots at the beginning of a run does ruin much of the intended challenge.
Trying to use the new mode seemed largely disappointing because it’s not as developed as I had thought. The most fascinating and original Replanted feature is the Cloudy Day mode, which blends elements of day and night action into a single conflict. By directing the sunny phase toward resource collection and planning and the overcast phase toward unit construction with the advantage of reduced resource prices, this twist presents an intriguing shift. It’s a deft combination of PvZ’s two battle styles, and it kept me really interested as I attempted to make the most of my battle opportunities when the tide turned. It’s Replanted’s most remarkable invention by far.
In general, this remake also looks fantastic in motion, particularly as the action intensifies and zombie hordes are in full force, with your plants doing everything in their power to halt them. Unfortunately, the improved graphics frequently adhere too closely to the original’s structure and design, and their enlargement to higher resolutions can occasionally come off as incredibly phony and lopsided. This results in situations when the quality may be uneven and inadvertently subpar, including menu animations or character images that are hazy and coarse, as well as the unattractive gloomy filter overlay in Rest in Peace mode.
One of the more strange adjustments is the way the original iconic ending music video was handled, which is also influenced by this unevenness. Without giving anything away, this climax is presented as a video inside another sequence, compressed onto a vintage tube TV that is located inside your character’s house, rather than as a dramatic splash of an ending. Previously on par with Portal’s amazing ‘Still Alive’ ending, the closing sequence is devalued by this needless flourish. Seeing that celebration of Plants vs. Zombies‘ joyous energy devolve into something that makes me feel as though I’m watching a 16-year-old clip of the credits in full 360p resolution on YouTube was a surprise letdown.
Verdict
16 years later, the tower defense classic is given new life in Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted. In addition to offering some respectable new modes, a few quality-of-life enhancements, and sometimes updated graphics, its main goal is to compile all of the content from its numerous iterations into a single package. Its otherwise great upgrades are often undermined by dubious design and stylistic decisions made in some of its attempts to recreate the original. Nevertheless, Replanted offers a fun way to learn about or re-experience one of the most bizarre puzzle-strategy games of the 2000s.
