by A man wearing a steel pot for a hat tells you that he wants to enjoy the taco he just ate again, so he’s going back in time with the help of his talking camper. That’s essentially the plot of Plants vs. Zombies 2, the long-awaited sequel to the much beloved tower defense game that pits vegetation against the undead. This time your adventures in gardening take you to Ancient Egypt, 17th-century pirate-infested waters, and eventually the Old West. Despite a freemium model that nearly spoils the crop, PvZ2 is still a blue-ribbon mobile title with a charm and humor that is beyond garden-variety.
Plants vs Zombies 2 eschews the linear formula of the first-game for a more classic board game format. While you’ll still deploy little planted peapods and sunflowers to confront rows of bumbling zombies, the levels exist in a larger world now and beating a stage unlocks another along the path. There are forks in the road that let you decide how you’d like to proceed, and even keys to find that open up new areas. Ultimately your goal is to work your way to a star gate which takes you to the next world.
The pirate-themed world in PvZ2
Instead of simply defeating several sequences of increasingly complex and uniquely-powered zombies, the main campaign has some welcome variety in “last-stand” challenges, maps with specific restrictions, and new world-specific enemies. You’ll slay tombstone-raising zombies in Egypt and later confront undead sea captains with their nefarious parrots and rope-swinging brethren. While the pacing suffers into lulls at times, the overall experience is more varied and full than the original, thanks in large part to the scale: Now you’re no longer just a homeowner, you’re a time-traveling adventurer.
To respond to these new threats and challenges, your botanical arsenal has been augmented with bloomerangs, coconut cannons, iceberg lettuce, and adorable “spring” beans among others. The character design is as charming as ever, with the plant almanac full of chuckle-inducing introductions and adorable biographies. The art is also much improved over the first title, with superior animations, worlds, and environmental effects.
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