Forgive me AG, for I may pun…
For those of you familiar with Popcap’s previous output, Garden Warfare will come as something of a surprise. What the likes of Peggle and Bejeweled may have lacked in gameplay, they made up for with pure addictiveness married to unadulterated fun. Levels exploded with colour, while that desire to have one more go to attain that highscore extended the life of each game beyond initial expectations. Having being snapped up by the publishing behemoth that is EA (whether you believe that to be a positive or not is a different matter), Popcap has now dipped a wary toe into the online third-person shooter market, albeit with a twist.
Garden Warfare pays its respects to its source material, while also branching out (and so it begins) into something more. The original Plants vs Zombies was a tower defence game, pitting your sturdy plants in a defence of their cherished garden against the oncoming hordes of shambling shufflers. Now, Popcap has given us control of both factions in a 12-on-12 battle. It seems a bizarre comparison, particularly before you have had some hands on time, but the game that instantly came to mind was EA’s stalwart shooter, BattleFIELD (that one counts, right?). Each side has 4 classes, each of which can be directly related to Battlefield’s Assault, Engineer, Recon and Support. For examples, Plants have the Sunflower, who can heal nearby teammates, and the soldier, whcih can root itself to the spot to unleash a hail of gatling peas to obliterate the enemy, much like a gun emplacment. The Cactus, meanwhile, is the sniper class.
There were early reservations during the development of Garden Warfare. Microtransactions and a lack of modes and arenas appeared to hinder the game before it was even released. As of yet, there are no microtransactions, though EA has announced that they will arrive at some point. Hazarding a guess, I imagine these will allow the purchase of sticker packs, which for the moment can be purchased with coins earned in-game. In Popcap’s defence, they appear committed to keep any extra costs to a minimum: regular free DLC can be expected, starting with the Variety Pack which adds 24 extra abilities and even a new game mode called ‘Gnome Bomb’, where each teams battles it out to capture the Gnome and plant it in opposition territory.
Garden Warfare is online only, or at least online focused. Multiplayer is where you will spend most of your time. The bread and butter mode is Team Vanquish, a race to 50 tickets earned by eliminating the other team. Kills can be countered by reviving downed buddies; this engenders a great sense of team spirit. Without even using a headset, I found no end of people willing to revive me to help the cause. While there has been issues with the game, with some people unable to play at all, those that are there are doing the community a great service.
And it’s a good thing there are so many willing medics, as the fighting gets as frantic as anything as anything seen in the likes of CoD or Battlefield. The colourful surroundings and tongue-in-cheek characters - such as the Zombie footballer who has a special tackle attack and a protective dummy ability - belie its challenging nature. Gardens and Graveyards sees one side defending multiple bases, being pushed back on each unsuccessful defence, back to a final stronghold. Spawn points are generous – there are no vehicles (Pea Pods? CARrots? Sorry.) – so you can immediately jump back into the action. You can also set up AI controlled defences using stickers you have purchased in packs, which add healing buffs or work as extra turrets, both offensively and defensively.
The final mode, and the only one which is playable offline through split-screen, sees Plants vs Zombies go all Gears of War and do their own Horde Mode, otherwise known as Garden Ops. Here, up to 4 players attempts to defend a base against 10 waves of zombies, ever-increasing in difficulty. Along with your garden-variety (heh heh) zombies, there are also bosses to further hinder you. The final section sees everyone scrambling to a save zone: anyone currently playing Titanfall will be reminded of the run to the safety of the dropship.
Popcap has managed to uproot its original concept and turn it into something new and fresh (enough), while still keeping the humour and identity of the previous game. What’s more, here is a game that can be enjoyed by all ages. Kids will enjoy the ridiculousness of the characters and the fact that they can play a shooter that’s sure not to warp their fragile little minds, while us grown-up kids can respect the class system and the different dynamics of the classes. Now excuse me while I go all green-fingers again and tend to my garden.
