Plants vs. Zombies is a fun and challenging variation on the concept of a tower defense game, but with a novel premise. In this game, Zombies are attacking your yard, attempting to get inside your house to eat your brains. You use the plants to defend your yard. Each of your plants has special powers, which match up against the different types of zombies you will face.
The main part of the game is the Adventure Mode, which is a series of many levels that progress through different settings, beginning in the daytime and going through night, fog, and even attacks on your backyard and roof. In addition to the main Adventure Mode, there are several entertaining mini-games and even a very difficult survival mode.
Beginners should have no problem starting the game, as it features very simple tutorials to teach you all of the basics. Even if you’ve never played a tower defense style game before, you’ll be up to speed very quickly. Although the tutorial shows you how to play, it doesn’t provide much in the way of strategy, so here are some tips and tricks that will help you play better in the game.
Collect Sun
Your primary currency in the game is the sun that you collect. Although you can catch sun as it falls in the daytime, your main source will come from sunflowers that you plant in your garden. A common mistake is to not plant enough sunflowers early on. When the action gets thick towards the end of each stage, you’ll want to have a steady stream of sun pouring in.
A basic defense in Plants vs. Zombies
As a general rule, you’ll want to plant at least 3-4 sun along the back row before you plant anything else. The first zombies that attack in each stage are weak and slow, so you don’t need to attach them right away. Use your cheaper one-shot defenses whenever you can and concentrate on building up at least two rows of sunflowers on the left side of your garden to provide you with a steady stream of sun.
Use the Rake
Once you get through the first few levels of Adventure Mode, you’ll have the chance to visit Dave’s Shop. One of the first things you should buy there is the Rake, which only costs $200. It lasts for three stages, and you should keep replenishing it. What it does is automatically kill the first zombie? Why is this so important? Well, it buys you precious additional time at the beginning of each stage, allowing you to plant more sunflowers instead of having to spend your sun on defenses right away. Using the rake, you can get a solid 4-5 sunflowers planted before having to spend any time or sun on anything else. This helps you establish a great foundation for later in the stage.
Who left that lying there? The rake takes out the first Zombie in the stage.
Be Patient at the Beginning
A common mistake that beginners make in the game is to build up their expensive defenses too quickly. Remember that above all else, zombies are slow. Use this to your advantage in the early part of each stage and focus on planting your sun-generating plants first. Instead of spending 100 sun or more on pea-shooters, try using the Potato Mine or the Puff-shroom plants early on for defense. The Potato Mine only costs 25 coins and it can be planted near your sunflowers. By the time the zombie makes it all the way across the lawn, the mine will be armed. At night time, the puff-shrooms are a great early defense because they don’t cost anything to plant.
Patience is a virtue in the early stages of the game. Here a Potato Mine awaits its victim.
