Review: “Plants vs. Zombies HD” for the iPad

May

2010

Robert Workman, iPadNewsDaily Contributor
03:36 PM ET

Ever since the iPad arrived last month, there are a number of games that have been considered “must-haves” by the staff. Among them is “Plants vs. Zombies HD”, a game that’s so addictive it could put your device’s battery power in danger. Once you strap in and start setting up your plant defenders, you’ll be hard pressed to put it down … even if the real zombie apocalypse comes.

The game has appeared on previous platforms (including the iPhone ), but “Plants Vs. Zombies” feels right at home on the iPad. It’s a breeze choosing plants and setting them up on the front lines (your front yard, the roof of your house, etc.) as zombies come stumbling your way. Some of your plant types are basic at first (pea shooters, cherry bombs), but as you progress, they become more complex and powerful. By the same token, the zombies also up their army with big ogre-type minions, golf-cart riding zombies (lazy bums!) and even dolphin-riding zombies (which confirms our fear that, yes, sea animals are working with the undead).

What makes “Plants vs. Zombies” so much fun is its simple-to-grasp gameplay . You’ll go through wave after wave knocking down the hordes of zombies, while earning new goodies like additional plants and pages in the amusing in-game Almanac. (Seriously, give it a read on your next trip, it’ll give you a chuckle.)

You can also unlock Achievements to show off to your fellow players. Along with the main game modes (Quick Play, Adventure and Survival), “Plants vs. Zombies” also provides a number of fun mini-games, including the exclusive Buttered Popcorn. Here, you’ll lather up the undead in margarine, then shoot them with corn cob-shooting cannons. No, it doesn’t make much sense. But it’s fun anyway.

“Plants vs. Zombies” looks like a winner. Each stage is easy to see on the iPad screen , and the touch control interface lays neatly at the top, so it doesn’t get in the way of your display. What you’ll really like, however, are the animations. Both the plants and zombies are fun to watch, whether it’s a piranha-type plant chomping away on enemies (without blood and gore – this is a zombie game that’s perfect for all ages) or the zombies dressed in football gear, rushing for an end zone snack. Even when the screen fills up with characters, there’s no loss of detail whatsoever. That’s quite a feat for a downloadable game.

You’ll be rewarded with great sound, too. The background music is fun to listen to, and picks up in urgency if your plants are in danger or a “final wave” of zombies approaches. The zombies are a hoot, with all kinds of grunts and groans, along with a few requests for brains. You know, typical zombie stuff.

We can’t recommend this game enough. A word of warning, though. If you do buy “Plants vs. Zombies HD” for your iPad, make sure you bring your charger with you. You’ll be sucked in for hours at a time, eliminating hordes of the undead until your fingers go numb. It’s really that great – but then, we’ve come to expect that from the team behind Peggle and Bejeweled 2.

Price: $9.99

File Size: 49.7 MB

Developer: PopCap Games

Platform: iPad (regular version available for iPhone)

iPadNewsDaily Rating (out of 4): ★★★★