Plants vs. Zombies evolved from a titan of the casual games market to a full-on media empire, but the franchise has been on the backfoot for some time. With whispers of a new Plants vs. Zombies game going around, there’s a lot EA and PopCap could learn from the series’ last outing.
PopCap was once a small indie studio that cut its teeth on arcade-like titles such as Heavy Weapon, Peggle, Bejeweled, and more. When PopCap created the tower defense game Plants vs. Zombies, the title’s cute art style, quirky sense of humor, and simple gameplay (that opens up into some great strategic depth) allowed it to achieve incredible popularity. Following EA’s acquisition of the studio, PvZ got itself a direct sequel, as well as a series of shooter spinoffs that quickly became beloved among fans.
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Plants vs. Zombies 3 Didn’t Hit The Mark, So PopCap And EA Need To Change Focus
Unfortunately, the series has been in decline since 2019, when PvZ: Battle for Neighborville failed to interest fans. Despite some great ideas (such as sprinting, robust single-player content, and a few needed balance changes), it strayed too far from the beloved Garden Warfare duology it had spun off from. The IP then saw a drought of games, allowing PvZ 2 and Garden Warfare 2 to start dying slow deaths from power creep and lack of support respectively.
The release of Plants vs. Zombies 3, an attempt to bring the series back to its tower defense roots, hasn’t helped matters. After numerous small-scale soft launches, and one bigger soft launch in 2024, PvZ 3 has once again been unlisted; PopCap has struggled massively in regard to getting fans onboard with a new game. However, that’s not to say the series can’t get a second wind, so long as EA and PopCap learn from PvZ 3.
Plants vs. Zombies Needs To Go Back To The Basics
Just as Battle for Neighborville went too far astray from the Garden Warfare series, PvZ 3 missed out on why fans love Plants vs. Zombies. The last release of the game tried to combine the tower defense formula with too many mobile game gimmicks, trying to copy the homework of games like Merge Mansion. Moreover, it denied players the ability to choose what plants they took to battle—shutting out one of the most important parts of PvZ and PvZ 2. Collecting more plants, shaping new strategies, and working with a limited array of slots is key to the experience.
Choosing plants was eventually added back to PvZ 3, but it was too little, too late. The next PvZ game needs to go back to the classic formula of PvZ and PvZ 2, while shedding the over-monetized feature/power creep of the latter. A basic game that takes what’s worked before and expands it would be a great way to win fans back; the incredible modding scene that’s popped up around PvZ 2 should serve as inspiration here, with huge modpacks like Reflourished and Eclise giving fans of the franchise exactly what they want.
PopCap Needs To Simplify The Story
In the same fashion, the game needs to return to the simplicity of PvZ‘s story. That game only had a few quips from Crazy Dave and some amusing letters from the zombies. The level design told the bulk of the story, with the zombies ramping up the challenge by changing their means of attack—arriving at different locations or times of day. Trying to tie in the comics, a vast universe of characters, and world-threatening stakes is an approach that should be benched for a while.
