The latest addition to the Plants vs. Zombies franchise, Garden Warfare dives into the multiplayer scene (completely foregoing any form of single-player or even a tutorial level) and takes all of the insane, logic-defying toys from the original game – before giving them psychotic drugs and releasing them to the public. To call this game chaotic is an understatement, though something about playing as a zombie mad scientist blipping around the battlefield using its Warp ability, only to be cut down by walking Rambo cacti or eaten from below by a Venus fly-trap, brings out the ten-year old in me again.
[promo title=”The Gameplay”][/promo]
Going from its tower-defense gameplay and tackling the third-person shooter genre was a sudden change, and an interesting move on PopCap’s part (possibly nudged towards it by EA a bit), and I have to say that it has really paid off for them. Being able to jump into the action, running around the environment with customizable plants and zombies and battling against up to twenty-four other players means that you’re always on your toes. If you were to judge this game on the trailers alone you may think, “Eh, it’s only something I’d give as a present to my kids… or that one weird guy at work with the slight twitch…” than I would understand where you’re coming from. But as a grown man playing this game for the first time – I was completely hooked in. Then again, I may also be considered that one guy with the twitch, so your opinion could still be entirely justified.
The zombies are bringing the brains today.
Plants versus Zombies’ gameplay is simplistic, there’s no denying that, and the graphic style reminds me of games such as Viva Pinata. It is something meant to be played by people of all ages and levels of experience, and in place of a tutorial, the game instead filters through tips and advice during loading screens which cover general features such as how to heal, what a class is skilled at, and so on. It also retains the card system of the original games, where you unlock bonuses, support and customisable items through booster packs bought using the in-game currency won through battles. Usually I’m not a fan of that system, but Garden Warfare allows you to easily run through a level, interact with pots or graves using a single button and quickly choose the support or bonus you desire without interrupting the flow of combat. There are a couple of glitches – one game had me ‘playing’ without a body. It would have given me an incredible advantage with nobody being able to see me… had I actually been able to take any action beyond movement.
[promo title=”The Modes”][/promo]
The available game modes are just as simple, and also just as fun. There is the classic Horde mode where you and several friends combat against up to ten waves of zombies while protecting your garden. But don’t try this alone and on a harder difficulty as I did originally – much regret was felt that hour. Throughout this, you face several bosses that definitely require teammates to take down, and the zombie types vary between melee fighters, ranged gunmen, huge tanks, and explosive bombers. So when I tried to take them all on as the one plant class whose whole concept is eating zombies… things didn’t go well… even with a dozen pea shooter pots as support.
Combat never gets boring with all of the variety!
Online multiplayer takes it even further with ‘Team Vanquish’ and ‘Gardens & Graveyards’ modes. The first is really just your regular team deathmatch, where it’s a first-to-fifty-kills type of game. You can freely change your character class throughout the game, though each class has an individual level system with its unique abilities that are unlocked sequentially in the first three levels (these also come with demonstration videos, so you know what you’re getting into from the beginning). You gain levels by completing challenges – and the difficult of these is pretty fair. Use this skill X amount of times seems to be the general idea of it. There is even a kill cam moment after each death which offers you a unique stat – how many times you have killed or died to that specific player. That’s really cool.
The second mode is more like a territory capture game, where the zombies must push forward through a series of areas capturing bases and trying to reach the plants’ base. In order to win as the plants though, you are forced to hold out for a certain amount of time. 7 minutes for the first base, and then an additional 5 minutes for each subsequent base.
[promo title=”Final Thoughts”][/promo]
Despite requiring Xbox Live to play, for something that only costs $29.99 USD (or $39.95 AUD in Australia) on the Xbox 360, and $10 extra for the Xbox One edition, Garden Warfare is definitely worth the purchase. It’s easily one of those games that you can pick up to play with some friends for a day of casual gaming. Leveling up your classes, unlocking bonus items and fighting against other players or AI hordes will keep you entertained for those weekends when you just want to relax and enjoy some colorful, insane fun.