Plants vs. Zombies Replanted Review (PS5)
Summary: A facelift of the 2009 original Game of the Year Edition, Replanted is the best way to experience this classic and a great price.
3.7
Crazier Dave
If you’ve loved the 2009 version of Plants vs Zombies: Game of the Year Edition, you’ll certainly appreciate the graphical finesse of Plants vs Zombies: Replanted (‘Replanted’). Simply put: they are literally the same game – including all available modes (Vs, Coop, Puzzle, Minigames, Survival) – but with sharper presentation and mildly clearer audio.
For those criticizing a repackage, note this full title is only $20US. With this being said – and if both available – I’m a bit hard pressed to recommend the jump from $5 to $20 as it plays exactly the same. I speak from oodles (dozens of hours) of recent experience, having just completed the 360 version in couch co-op plus tested out all the modes in both in great detail.
If you’re buying for Steam, I would probably stick to the original. For console players lacking access to the original or brand new to the series, Replanted is a no brainer (zombie pun included).
Once one gets past the price point, there’s no denying Plants vs Zombies is easily one of the best tower defense games of all time. There is so much greatness in helping Crazy Dave fend off the zombie hordes, to include the absolutely adorable armies of both. (My heart bleeds hearing my walnut buddies getting munched.) Factor in being able to play them all in the terrific FPS Garden Warfare, and you can’t help but love the original inspiration.
Mirroring the 2009 original, Replanted begins by teaching dynamics of producing sun to purchase additional plant types. As stages progress, so too does the complexity of zombie tactics and that of plants to properly defend against them. Replanted maintains a constant risk: reward formula in attempting to hold out for the truly potent and similarly expensive plants. The CPU does not go easy on any player and expects lots of trial and error to match plant type to zombie strength. Each stage has three timed zombie hordes, with bonus stage types (whack a mole, bowling, etc.) sprinkled in.
Later levels introduce time of day, water dynamics, tombstones, fog, and roof height/angle. Importantly, night levels cleverly favor mushrooms [as insufficient sun to grow plants], and coffee beans can ‘wake up’ mushrooms in sun-based ones. All dynamics require specific strategies and tactics to master. Crazy Dave also sells a select number of very expensive upgrades to help. (Coins are collected semi-randomly within stages.) Fifty stages and five levels later, the big bad boss awaits you. Finishing the game’s Adventure mode introduces harder zombies but also the entire plant army to choose from Level 1 Stage 1.
Beyond Adventure mode, Replanted is one of the best couch co-op experiences on the planet, with Player 1 able to dig up plants, Player 2 can butter zombies (to slow them down). Working together can produce plant defense magic and makes for a great time. The same can be said for the surprisingly deep Vs mode, where one defends zombie targets, the other entry to Uncle Dave’s home. Custom is especially trash talk worthy, as players take turns selecting plant then zombie of choice. (Think schoolyard dodgeball team selection.) Note there is no online multiplayer, and the game seemingly calls home with each launch (if you lack a proper internet connection).
Did I truly enjoy Plants vs Zombies Replanted? You betcha. Everything looks, sounds and plays faster and better. Is it a substantial improvement over the original? Can’t say that it is. But it’s also the best version of a truly great game.
Final Thoughts
For those who can’t play the 2009 original, Plants vs Zombies: Replanted is a modern repackaging of one of the greatest tower defense games of all time. It is, however, a carbon copy in offerings of the 2009 Game of the Year edition.
About the Author
Paul Stuart A gamer for over 30 years with 400+ reviews across four sites literally spanning the globe, Paul Stuart has an unhealthy obsession with Assassins Creed, God of War, and all things Lord of the Rings.
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