Plants vs Zombies: Replanted is an undeniably good time. It’s hard to waste a timeless formula like the original PvZ, a highly addictive tower defense game that took the gaming world by storm in 2009.
It’s also a very controversial project, and I’d be doing those interested in checking it out, especially if they’re die-hard fans, a disservice by not mentioning the plethora of issues surrounding Replanted. Having said that, if you’re looking to relive the classic Plants vs Zombies experience on Nintendo Switch, then you’ve got pretty much no other choice than Replanted.
From that perspective, the Nintendo Switch version of PvZ: Replanted is a solid entry point into the series. There’s not much to say about the gameplay loop if you’ve already played it, but in the off chance you haven’t, it’s a tower defense game in which you need to defend your garden (and roof) from the threat of constant incoming zombies by using plants to fend them off.
There are over 50 different levels, with plenty of variety in terms of zombies you’ll face and the terrain you have to defend. Some levels have a pool covering the middle portion of the grid, forcing you to strategize differently. Some have mist, a few more occur during nighttime, rendering your usually trusty sunflowers basically useless. It’s addictive, and all too familiar if you’ve played before; so what’s new?
The biggest thing you’ll notice is the resolution bump. There’s been a denial of AI usage to upscale the assets by the developers. Users still insist this was the case after digging through the game’s files. The fact that the official PvZ Twitter account got community noted is not official confirmation that AI upscaling was used, as much as social media warriors would have you believing the contrary, but it is something worth discussing if you’re looking for a fully fledged remaster that does justice to the original. That being said, I’m no expert when it comes to visual fidelity, and everything I’ve clocked is from a pure eye test, but the game looks pretty enough. I played primarily in handheld mode, as I imagine this is how Switch players will likely enjoy their PvZ, and the colors really pop in the Switch 2’s screen, even if it's not an OLED, so I can only imagine how good it looks on one. The animations are crisp, and despite the alleged use of AI upscaling, the plants and zombies look extremely well in motion.
There is one annoying issue, though: every time you obtain a new plant, the icon for it looks extremely blurry and screams laziness.
Then there’s the music problem. A key component of the original was the music that gradually built up to a climax. That is gone, and in a game as static as a tower defense, you need that extra oomph coming from elsewhere to add a sense of urgency, making the music a key component of PvZ's immersion, which just isn't present in Replanted. Even the game's composer, Laura Shigihara, expressed her disappointment at this via social media.
Beyond the main campaign, Replanted offers unique modes to spice up the original formula, to varying degrees of success. There's Cloudy Day, Rest in Peace, and the return of co-op alongside versus mode.
Cloudy Day is perhaps my favorite of the bunch, as it brings a very fun gimmick that makes resource management much more important: as the name implies, sunny days will quickly be filled with clouds and rain, putting your sunflowers to sleep. You'll have to plan, taking these weather changes into consideration, saving suns and planting accordingly during the downtime. The cost of plants goes down a bit as compensation, but if you don't spend those banked suns properly, it'll be hard to get things back on track when the clouds dissipate.
Rest in Peace is essentially a hardcore mode, where you progress through levels with a single "life." That means zombies get your brains, there are no do-overs, you're back to the beginning. It's okay, not the most inspired, but it's a neat addition and a reward for completing the main campaign.
The game does offer local co-op and versus mode. The former is fun, leading to some hilarious scenarios when one player hogs all the suns, but the novelty wears a little bit quickly for my taste. As for versus, it's completely unbalanced and requires some massive changes. It all feels heavily skewed in favor of the zombies. Even with some rule tinkering, it just doesn't feel like they properly played-tested it. The amount of brains (a currency similar to suns for zombies) the zombie player has access to versus regular suns from the plant users is ridiculously unbalanced. I'd say it's a bit of a shame that both co-op and versus are offline-only, but as they stand, they offer very little of value to the overall package. Nintendo Switch 2 users also have access to game share, which is a neat way to share the game locally, so there's that little bonus.
The Switch version allows for three different control schemes: regular stick, touch, and mouse controls. Using your joystick feels absolutely fine if you're trying to game on the go. It feels intuitive, and while you'll trade the speed of touch controls, it's definitely much more comfortable if you don't have a stand to place your Switch or are trying to play it docked.
Touch controls are solid as well. They're not meant for you to drag and drop the plants. Sure, you can do it, but you'll still need to double-tap the screen to put down your selected plant. Only real gripe is that trying to play it using touch controls can feel clunky due to the Switch 2's size. I'm willing to bet it feels much better on a smaller device like the Switch Lite.
Finally, mouse controls are the absolute worst way to play PvZ: Replanted on the Switch. It's sluggish, unresponsive, and you don't get to readjust mid-game: the game will move to another control scheme as soon as your Joy-Con stops touching a surface. Even using a mousepad won't help much. I don't necessarily think it's a Popcap issue, but rather Nintendo's general implementation of mouse functionality feels tacked on for novelty's sake rather than being a useful way to play games.
Overall, Plants vs Zombies: Replanted is an enjoyable trip down memory lane. Do I recommend buying over other versions available elsewhere? No, I don't. But if you're a Nintendo Switch user and are willing to pay the $20 entry fee, you'll likely find some decent enjoyment out of it.
Game code provided by the developer for the purpose of this review.