Plants vs Zombies for Mac - Free download and software reviews - CNET Download (original) (raw)

Editors' Review

Download.com staffOctober 17, 2024

The first game of the legendary Plants vs Zombies series

Plants vs Zombies is one of the most popular games on the Windows, iPhone, and iPad platforms, and now it's on the Mac. The goal of Plants vs Zombies is to stop zombies from marching across your lawn or roof and eating you. To defend yourself you have to put various plants in their way, each plant having special skills. Plants vs Zombies installs easily.

Plants vs. Zombies is a popular video game made by PopCap Games, which is part of Electronic Arts (EA). The story revolves around a character named David "Crazy Dave" Blazing. He uses different plants to stop a zombie invasion led by Dr. Edgar George Zomboss. The game mixes humor with tactical challenges, which makes it both fun and hard to play. As you get better at the game, you unlock new plants and face tougher zombies. This keeps the game exciting and rewarding as you progress.

Plants vs. Zombies is a lively and strategic game where you must quickly use your wits to prevent zombies from entering your home. The game unfolds across 50 diverse levels and includes different environments such as day, night, foggy settings, a swimming pool, and a rooftop. Each level challenges you to master the game in Adventure mode and continue the excitement in Survival mode.

You will encounter 26 different types of zombies throughout the game, each with unique skills that require you to think and act swiftly. Managing your limited arsenal of plants and seeds effectively is crucial for keeping the zombies at bay. As you progress, the challenges increase, and you gain access to more powerful plants while the zombies grow tougher.

The plants in Plants vs Zombies get laid out on a grid. Some plants shoot peas, which injure zombies, some plants eat zombies, and so on. There's about a dozen different plants that can be used to defeat the oncoming hordes of zombies. As plants get eaten by the zombies, you can replant, but they take time to grow and react. And there's always the issue of affording the plants. To buy them you need to collect sunshine, and each plant costs a certain amount of sun. Sounds complicated? It isn't. Sounds weird? It is, but this is one of the most addictive games we've played, and replay is still strong. The music and effects are great, too.

Bottom Line

The publishers of Plants vs Zombies have other highly popular games (Peggle, Zuma, etc.), but this is the classic that everyone knows. Play the free version for an hour and you'll likely be buying the full release with its hours and hours of play. It's still one of our favorite games on the iPad, and seeing it on the Mac is great.

Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of Plants vs Zombies 1.0.40.

What's new in version 1.0.40