The final game has 49 types of plants.

[13] Fan expressed fondness for the Tall-Nut, Torchwood,

and Cob Cannon plants. He liked the Tall-Nut's character, citing its "determined gaze" and its
shedding a single tear when hurt. In terms of strategy, he liked that the Torchwood—which gives
Peashooters flaming ammunition—required the player to consider how plants interact with each
other.[25] Fan also liked the Squash, due to its name's wordplay; the plant crushes zombies.[32] A
proposed plant would have been placed above other plants to protect them from Bungee and
Catapult Zombies; it was difficult, however, to visualize this plant's position.[20] A similar
defensive item (the Umbrella Leaf) made it into the final game, protecting plants from Bungee
and Catapult Zombies, but placed next to plants.[35] Many potential plants had concept art but
were not in the final Plants vs. Zombies.[22]
Plants vs. Zombies has 51 types of zombie.[36] Fan's favorite zombie was Dr. Zomboss. The team
spent a full month designing the fight against him at the end of the game.[32] Fan liked the Pole
Vaulting Zombie due to the likely amusement of its first encounter with the player; he gave an
example of a player failing to block it with a Wall-Nut plant, with the zombie jumping over the
obstruction.[25] The Newspaper Zombie's first iteration simply read a newspaper, but Werner
redrew the character as having become a zombie while reading on the toilet. Fan's brother asked
him whether he based the zombie on their father, as he would often read the newspaper on the
toilet. Fan said that while he had no such intention, it was his favorite backstory to a zombie.
[29]
 The Dancing Zombie initially resembled Michael Jackson from the music video "Thriller".
[6]
 The zombie was present in the game before his death, but Jackson's estate objected to its
inclusion more than a year after; PopCap replaced it with a more generic disco-dancing zombie.
[37]
 Many other zombies were cut during development.[29]
Soundtrack[edit]
Shigihara composed Plants vs. Zombies's soundtrack, borrowing elements from pop music and
console chiptune. Before the game's inception, Fan asked Shigihara to compose the music for his
next title because he admired her music. She drew influence from Danny Elfman's soundtracks
and a wide range of musical styles: One song uses marching band percussion and swing; another
utilizes techno beats with "organic" sounds.[38] Film music scholar K. J. Donnelly found the music
to be bright and "cartoonish". He noted the music was not dynamically tied to gameplay, but
instead progresses independently. He noted the soundtrack's design in a progressive style,
"almost in parallel to the unfolding of the game[play]".[39]
Shigihara described the music as "macabre, yet goofy". Examining the night stages, she
explained that she used a combination of big band swing beats with "several haunting and
serious melodies". The songs "Loonboon" and "Brainiac Maniac" were written towards the end
of production. Shigihara said these were reactionary songs she wrote to fit the game's feel after
playing it through twice.[38] Shigihara composed and performed the music video shown during the
game's credits, titled "Zombies on Your Lawn".[14] The song was inspired by "Still Alive", which
played at the end of the video game, Portal.[27] Plants vs. Zombies's tracks were eventually
released as part of a downloadable soundtrack album.[39]

Promotion and release[edit]

On April 1, 2009, PopCap released a music video for "Zombies on Your Lawn" to
promote Plants vs. Zombies.[40][41] While many PC gamers were unsure if the video was an
elaborate April Fools' Day joke,[27][42] PopCap spokesperson Garth Chouteau revealed in
an IGN interview that the game would soon be released for PC and Mac.[43] On April 22, 2009,
PopCap released an official game trailer of Plants vs. Zombies on YouTube.[44][45] PopCap Games
released a demo version on May 4, 2009, permitting thirty minutes of gameplay.[46] Plants vs.
Zombies was officially released for PC and Mac on May 5, 2009,[27][47] A free Adobe Flash version
of Plants vs. Zombies was released on September 23, 2009,[48] along with the demo being replaced
by a version where the player can play up to level 3-2.[49]
A Game of the Year edition was released on July 11, 2010.[50] It was made available on Steam on
August 11, 2010;[51] anyone who already purchased the game could update to the new edition for
free.[52] The Game of the Year edition adds in a "Zombatar" feature allowing the player to
customize a zombie's face.[c] The edition also supports Steam Cloud, which lets the player access
game save data from multiple computers.[51]
Mobile phone versions[edit]
During the announcements for Plants vs. Zombies, PopCap Games revealed the game would be
ported to other platforms after the PC release.[43][44] In August 2009, it was announced
on IGN that Plants vs. Zombies would be ported to the iPhone near the end of 2009.[53] They
announced the port's release date on a trailer on YouTube in February 2010,[54] officially releasing
it on February 15, 2010.[55][56][57] The port included a modified interface for iPhone users and a
Quick Play mode allowing the player to play any level in Adventure mode; it removed the Mini-
Games, Puzzle, and Survival modes.[42][58]
In March 2010, a technology blog named PadGadget found unintentionally public entries for
ports of iPhone games to the iPad, Plants vs. Zombies among them.[59][60] The game's iPad port,
named Plants vs. Zombies HD, was released on April 5, 2010.[61] It utilized the iPad's 11 touch
sensors[62] and restored the Survival mode and the Mini-Games mode,[63] which includes an iPad-
exclusive mini-game called "Buttered Popcorn".[64][65] Subsequent iOS updates would add more
content to their version of Plant vs. Zombies, including Zen Garden, additional mini-games, and
additional achievements.[66][67]
In May 2011, PopCap Games officially announced that Chuzzle would be available on
the Amazon Appstore for Android devices for the next two weeks, with Plants vs.
Zombies becoming available later in the month. They were both free on launch day and cost
$2.99 after.[68] On May 31, 2011, Plants vs. Zombies entered the Amazon Appstore.[69] In
December 2011, PopCap Games announced it would be releasing Plants vs.
Zombies and Peggle through the Android Market.[70] It was made available on Google Play Store
on December 15, 2011.[71]
Plants vs. Zombies has been ported to other mobile devices. On June 23, 2011, the game was
released on the Windows Phone as part of Xbox Live.[72] On November 14, 2011, and January 30,
2013, Plants vs. Zombies was released on the Kindle Fire[73][74] and Blackberry 10[75][76] respectively
as a launch app. Plants vs. Zombies was later released on another BlackBerry device,
the BlackBerry Playbook.[77] Plants vs. Zombies was released on Nook HD and Nook HD+ on
November 14, 2012.[78]
Console versions[edit]
Plants vs. Zombies was announced for the Xbox 360 in July 2010,[79][80] to be available both on its
own and as part of a bundle with Peggle and Zuma.[79] The game was released on the Xbox 360 at
Xbox Live on September 8, 2010.[81] To ease use with the Xbox controller, the cursor was locked
onto the lawn's grid pattern and sun would float towards the cursor.[82] The port also featured
Versus mode, a Co-op mode, and a new level in Mini-Games mode.[80] Versus mode matched two
players, one playing plants and one playing zombies.[83] The zombie player's goal is reaching the
house, while the plant player aims to kill three of the five target zombies on the right side of the
lawn.[84] A PlayStation Network port for the PlayStation 3 of Plants vs. Zombies was announced
on January 28, 2011,[85] with Sony Online Entertainment as its publisher[1] and was released on
February 8, 2011.[86][87]
The DS port of Plants vs. Zombies was announced in August 2010.[88][89] The port was released on
January 18, 2011, in North America[90] and on May 6, 2011, in Europe and Australia.[91] The port
included the Zombatar feature and the versus mode from the Xbox Live version, also adding four
exclusive mini-games.[92][93] On March 14, 2011, the DSiWare port was released in North America.
It was released on May 6, 2011, in Europe and Australia.[91][94] The DSiWare version only kept the
Adventure mode and Mini-Games mode; the mini-game levels consisted of the exclusive levels
from the original DS and a new level called "Zombie Trap".[94]
The PlayStation Vita port was announced in December 2011[95] and released on February 21,
2012, in North America, and in Europe as a launch title on February 22, 2012.[96][97] The port
allows the player to play using either the touch screen or the controllers. It also introduces the
ability to shake the Vita to collect suns and money. Like the PlayStation 3 port, it was also
published by Sony Online Entertainment.[98]Unlike other console versions, the game lacks a
multiplayer setting.[99][100]

Reception[edit]
Reception

Aggregate score
Aggregator Score
PC: 87/100 [101]

iOS: 92/100[102]
(iPad) iOS: 93/100[103]
X360: 89/100[104]
Metacritic
DS: 81/100[105]
(DSiWare) DS: 73/100[106]
PS3: 85/100[107]
PSVita: 77/100[108]
Review scores
Publication Score
1Up.com A− [14]

Destructoid 10/10[17]
Edge 9/10[5]
Eurogamer 9/10[11]
[109]
GamePro
PC: 8.5/10[8]
GameSpot X360: 8.5/10[110]
DS: 8/10[111]
 [12]
GameSpy
PC:  [9]
GamesRadar+
PSVita:  [112]

[113]
Gamezebo
9/10[114]
IGN
DS: 8/10[92]

Sales[edit]
On May 20, 2009, Plants vs. Zombies was declared the fastest-selling video game created by
PopCap Games, quickly becoming their best-selling video game; surpassing their previous
popular games: Bejeweled and Peggle.[115][116][117] In a presentation at Game Developers
Conference China 2010, James Gwertzman, the vice president of the Asia/Pacific division of
PopCap Games, revealed the game had sold 1.5 million copies internationally.[31] Fan estimated
half of sales came from hardcore gamers.[116] Larry Hryb, director of programming for Xbox Live,
reported that Plants vs. Zombies was the thirteenth most purchased 2011 game on Xbox Live
Arcade.[118] Plants vs. Zombies was particularly successful on the App Store.[28] According to
PopCap, the iOS release of Plants vs. Zombies sold more than 300,000 copies during its first nine
days, generating more than $1 million in gross sales. It rose to number one in sales and money
grossed from a mobile video game before losing the spot nine days after release.[119] As of April
2016, nine million copies have been downloaded across all iOS platforms.[120]
Critical reviews[edit]
Plants vs. Zombies received positive reviews. According to Metacritic, the only version that did
not receive "generally positive reviews" or "universal acclaim" is the DSiware version, which
received "mixed or average reviews".[106] Some reviewers found the core mechanic
straightforward, but the game itself challenging.[5][6] GamesRadar+'s Tom Francis said that Plants
vs. Zombies was only casual in its easiness to understand its premise; he clarified, "There's
nothing casual about the 30 goddamn hours we've spent, effectively, gardening."[9] Seth Schisel
from The New York Times said kids and adults alike would enjoy Plants vs. Zombies.[121] Others
disagreed:[12] GameSpot editor Chris Watters said, "Tower defense veterans will have to endure a
lot of simple, familiar action in order to find a real challenge, and the wait may prove too long
for some";[8] GamePro's Tae Kim said that Plants vs. Zombies was not particularly easy or hard,
and that he never had to restart despite being "terrible at these sorts of games."[122] John Walker
of Rock Paper Shotgun said the difficulty sometimes felt artificial.[19]
Despite his criticism of the game's difficulty, Watters praised Plants vs. Zombies's constant
introduction of new plants, which kept the game fresh.[8] Eurogamer editor Christian Donlan
agreed: every zombie challenges the player and each new plant allows for a new strategy.
[11]
 Many critics commended Plants vs. Zombies for its minimalistic tutorial allowing
experimentation;[5][123] some had believed the entire Adventure mode was a long tutorial, or a
warmup, for other game modes.[21] Many critics praised the game for the replay value offered by
additional game modes;[8][19] Francis said that by the time the player finishes Adventure mode; "the
obscene wealth of other things to do already outweighs it for entertainment value."[9]
The art style and music of Plants vs. Zombies have also been praised.[14][19] Susan Arendt from the
Escapist said, "The music is excellent, [and] the art is charming and adorable."[16] Many reviewers
have called the graphics from Plants vs. Zombies "adorable".[8][12][109] Watters said, "All of the units
are cleverly realized and adorably animated." He further clarified, "From angry jalapeños to
spacy wall-nuts, each unit has a great sense of personality".[8] Some noted the game's humor;[16]
[17]
 Wired's Earnest Cavalli said that while the idea behind Plants vs. Zombies sounds macabre,
"every level of the game offers something to laugh about".[6] Marc Saltzman
from Gamezebo found humor in the game's many killing methods.[113] IGN editor Daemon
Hatfield praised the game's music; he called it a "catchy, organic soundtrack that becomes more
intense as your yard is flooded with enemies".[40] In contrast, Walker found the soundtrack
"disappointing" and stated, "After the promise of the gorgeous music video, the hope of similarly
catchy in-game tunes is not kept."[19]
Critics commended the iPhone port of Plants vs. Zombies for being faithful to the PC version and
for its Quick Play mode, but many were disappointed by its omission of the other game modes.[42]
[58][124][d]
 Many reviewers praised the iPad port's inclusion of the Mini-Games mode and the Survival
mode, along with "Buttered Popcorn", the exclusive mini-game.[63][64][65] The Xbox 360 port
of Plants vs. Zombies was praised for its addition of exclusive game modes, including a Co-op
mode and a Versus mode.[84][110][125] The Nintendo DS port was commended for its four new mini-
games and its versus mode from the Xbox 360 version, but was considered inferior in its
animation and graphics. The port was also criticized for its comparatively high price, for the DS
top screen's sole usage as an indicator of level progression, and for unstable frame rate.[92][111]
[126]
 Many critics found the PS Vita version faithful to the PC version, though unsure about
whether or not there enough significant additions in this version to recommend to someone who
already has Plants vs. Zombies on another platform.[112][127][128]
Awards[edit]
Plants vs. Zombies was nominated for various categories in the The GameSpot Best of 2009,
[129]
 2009 Spike Video Game Awards,[130] the 13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards,
[131]
 the 10th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards,[132] and the 6th[133] and 7th British Academy
Games Awards.[134] It won the categories of "Download Game of the Year" and "Strategy Game of
the Year" in the Golden Joysticks Awards 2010,[135] and the category of "Best Casual Game" in
the 7th International Mobile Gaming Awards.[136] Electronic Arts (EA) claims that Plants vs.
Zombies has won over 30 Game of the Year awards.[137]
AwardsAwards and nominations
Yea
Award ceremony Category Result Ref.
r
Best PC Game Nominated
2009 2009 Spike Video Game Awards [130]

Best Downloadable Game

2010 Casual Game of the Year
13th Annual Interactive [131]

Achievement Awards Outstanding Achievement in

Game Design
Best Game Design
10th Annual Game Developers
Innovation Award [132]

Choice Awards
Best Downloadable Game
[133]
6th British Academy Games Strategy in 2010
Awards
 AwardsAwards and nominations
Yea
Award ceremony Category Result Ref.
r
Download Game of the Year
Won
Golden Joystick Awards 2010 Strategy Game of the Year [135]

Portable Game of the Year Nominated

7th International Mobile Gaming
Best Casual Game Won [136]

Awards
2011 [134]

7th British Academy Games

Strategy in 2011 Nominated
Awards