Plants vs. Zombies is a series near and dear to my heart. I spent hundreds of hours across the original, sequel, and Garden Warfare duology, and I’ve yearned for EA to truly give the series the revival it deserves over the last few years. We saw Battle for Neighborville in 2019, which was just alright, but since then, things have been relatively quiet. The zombies were finally freed from their graves in July, when Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted, a remaster of the original game, was announced at a Nintendo Direct.
After spending some time with this new version, it’s exciting to say that PvZ is finally on the Switch, and I’m overall satisfied with the content EA and PopCap were able to put together. There are some stumbles with the visuals and music, but for the most part, this is a good, modern touch-up to one of the all-time great PopCap games.
Welcome Back to the Garden
Plants vs. Zombies is exactly what it sounds like: a team of plants fights against a horde of zombies trying to invade a home. However, as you might expect, this mashup is as unusual as can be. You’ve got watermelon plants that launch their fruit, cherries that explode on impact, and corn that freezes zombies with a stick of butter. The zombies are no different, with some charging in with football gear, dancing in disco attire, or even driving a zomboni. It’s absolute chaos, yet the strange mash of ideas is ingenious.
At the start of each round, you will see what zombie types are set to invade, giving you the chance to pick your plants and form a strategy. Battles occur in the front yard, back yard, and even on the roof. Each area is divided into lanes, and zombies will spawn in from the right side, aiming to walk to the end of the left and reach your brains. You’ll find a lawnmower (or something similar) at the end of each row to begin with, and these serve as a saving grace, eliminating all zombies in the row if your plants happen to all get eaten.
A total of 48 plants are available to unlock, with 25 different zombie types to encounter. This wide variety keeps you endlessly engaged, as each level brings a new experience. It’s so fun to mix and match combinations to see what works. Sometimes, you might aim to maximize your sun output, while others, you play conservatively and focus on defense. There are numerous ways to win each level, and really, your limit is your own creativity. Strategy is the name of the game, so when things do not go the way you expect, it’s easy to recalibrate and go back to the drawing board.
The main mode in Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is Adventure, which includes 50 levels that take place across five distinct areas. It’s been years since I dove into the original game, and Replanted reminded me just how fun Adventure is. There is an excellent progression where you slowly build your plant arsenal and face new challenges frequently. The difficulty is largely unaltered, so you can expect the same fun challenge found in the original.
Beyond Adventure, both Puzzle and Mini-Games menus are here, with each boasting nearly twenty different experiences to discover. Puzzle focuses on two different modes: Vasebreaker & I, Zombie. Vasebreaker forces you to break vases and quickly react, as what’s inside could either be a plant or a zombie. This fun, quick mode is a good twist on the standard gameplay formula, as the lack of sun requires you to deal only the cards available to you. I, Zombie, on the other hand, gives you the role of the zombies, and you must find a way to eat the five brains at the end of each row. Only a select number of sunflowers are on each stage, so you’re required to think carefully about how not to run out of sun before eating all the brains. Survival is here, too, but that mode is self-explanatory.
One new feature that instantly transforms gameplay is a speed-up button, allowing you to speed up levels up to a multiplier of 2.5x. This can make zombies fly by, and it is not an exaggeration to say you can clear the base game in just a few hours using this. I love that PopCap added this in, as it is especially great on a handheld like the Switch 2 when gaming sessions might be short. This is usable in all modes, too, which is wonderful.
Overall, the core gameplay and Adventure mode of PvZ is exactly as original players will remember. The thrills and strategy are both here, and Replanted brings a few new modes to the table for even more fun in the garden.
A Few New Brains to Feast on
EA and PopCap have been adamant about the journey to make this the definitive version of PvZ. In terms of content, I’d have to say it’s as close as can be, as almost everything ever made across the numerous PvZ versions is here. Sure, some mini-games available on the DS releases are missing, but I’ve found almost everything I ever could have wanted in a remaster. Scrapped stages and mini-games from the original are available in the Bonus Levels trash can. The Great Wall is even here!
A major new addition exclusive to Replanted is Cloudy Mode, a mode where the sun gets covered up at times, preventing sunflowers from producing sun. I found this to be by far my favorite piece of Replanted, as it uniquely combines the challenges of day and night into one. While strategy comes with every mode, Cloudy Mode had me thinking differently than ever before, as I could not simply rely on a row or two of sunflowers to keep my sun stock up.
Rest in Peace (RIP) Mode is another new addition, essentially a hardcore mode that makes Adventure permadeath. You only have one mower, and it spawns in a completely random location each time. Defense is everything, as even one mistake will end your entire run. This can get hectic very fast, since you do not have the leisure of a mistake-saving mower in case you cannot afford a plant. Though be aware that all your plants are available from the start, so you can plant as many Melon-pults as you’d like. As far as content goes, this pair is an excellent addition to the game, fitting right in with the original.
PopCap has also added the Co-Op and VS modes as part of this package, which were both only available on later releases. Co-Op sets you up with a friend, where you can choose to either tackle challenges or Adventure together. VS pits you against another player, with one playing as the plants and the other as zombies. On the Nintendo Switch 2, GameShare is available for both of these, and I found this to be an excellent addition. I was able to quickly join up with a friend using GameChat with ease, making this a viable option for those looking to extend the Replanted experience after a run-through of Adventure.
PopCap shared that these were “inspired by community feedback”, and I am quite satisfied with the vision and direction from the team. It’s clear that the studio greatly cares about its fanbase and has attempted to pack in everything it could. There are even a few hidden features, like toggles for a Head Crab zombie in the menu, among other fun costumes. As for the added modes, I would have liked to see more added to Cloudy Day beyond 12 levels, but there is a sizeable amount of content with everything else here, regardless.
Undead Harmony
Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is a dream to play on Nintendo Switch 2. This might be the best way to play this beloved classic. The visuals are incredibly crisp, with sprites looking sharp across the board. While the plants, zombies, and environments all look great, there are a few visuals that seem to be neglected that should have been remade. The seed packets, in particular, load at a vastly lower resolution than the rest of the game, almost as if they are the original assets. If purposeful, I appreciate the sentiment of aiming to be respectful to the original, but I wish PopCap had recreated these to match the rest of the game. It comes off as jarring, especially as you generally receive these upon clearing a level. There’s a similar issue with the approach to the credits sequence, but I digress.
Admittedly, I was curious to see how the game played on the TV versus on the Switch 2 portably, but both were outstanding experiences. Replanted is excellent on the big screen, allowing you to take in the fun tower defense action, while portable play is as sharp, fluid, and responsive as can be. Speaking on portable mode specifically, one feature I really appreciated was touchscreen controls. Using these, players who spent time with the mobile releases will feel right at home.
During my testing, the Switch 2 version of Replanted runs flawlessly for the most part, with the cursor in particular acting as an excellent and smooth control method. In regard to performance, two isolated soft locks occurred twice during my ten hours with Replanted, resulting in a forever loading screen that required a restart. However, considering these incidents were isolated, it does not significantly detract from the overall experience or the game’s otherwise smooth performance.
The score of PvZ was a treat to listen to once again, but there are some noticeable issues regarding this in Replanted. The new speed-up feature actually speeds the music up alongside the game, bringing sped-up versions of the iconic themes. This is great, but in doing so, PopCap has left out the dynamic music of the original. Each level originally had music that would build toward the end, and I found it disappointing that this was overlooked in Replanted. It’s a small but very noticeable detail.
I’m hopeful that EA and PopCap will work toward patching the music issue and potentially enhancing a few visuals, as these are core elements of the original game. Outside of this, the enhancements and modernizations that bring Plants vs. Zombies up to 2025 standards are more than enough to let me relive my time with the original in a fresh new light.
A Step Toward A Bigger Garden
Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is not perfect, but PopCap has done enough here to allow millions of new players to experience the game that started it all. This is the most content-complete version of PvZ ever; even though a few minor pieces of content are missing, the passion and final package are undeniable.
New players are in for a treat with one of the PopCap greats alongside Peggle and Bejeweled, and veterans will find themselves right at home in the garden. There are a few bugs, visual issues, and missing audio problems that should be addressed in the near future, but that will not stop anyone from having a great time with this release. Replanted runs great, and it is a blast to play on Nintendo Switch 2.
I hope Replanted is the sign of a new era for Plants vs. Zombies. This is an incredible franchise that deserves far more love than it has received over the past five years. If anything, I’m mostly hoping for EA and PopCap to look at bringing Plants vs. Zombies 2 to modern platforms in a similar release. The time-warping adventure is a game I spent dozens of hours in years ago, and I would love to see it come to new platforms stripped of the monetization aspect.
Disclaimer: EA provided a Nintendo Switch 2 copy of Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted for review purposes.
