Don’t pay attention to its cartoony visuals and roots in the real-time strategy genre. The new Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare PS4 game has shot into retail and is worth a serious look.
Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare originally launched as an Xbox One exclusive, where it’s seen plenty of updates and play sessions. The PS4 version of the game, now available for $39.99, includes all the updates that have previously launched for the Xbox One version.
As you might gather from its artwork and heritage, PvZ Garden Warfare marries the franchise’s humor with some surprisingly deep gameplay. At the same time, it’s remarkably accessible for even casual shooter fans.
Players must choose a side to face-off against, Plants or Zombies. Garden Warfare features multiple gameplay modes and a range of unconventional weaponry such as franchise favorites Peashooter and Chomper. There are also a few crazy new characters.
Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare for PS4 includes Zomboss Down, Garden Variety and Tactical Taco Party Pack, the three DLC updates that have been made available free for Xbox One owners. It’s not just a straight-up port, though, as Garden Warfare for PS4 also supports Remote Play for PlayStation Vita. This means players can have a handheld experience of the entire game through the PS4 console.
Five total gameplay modes are available in Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare: four multiplayer modes (Garden & Graveyards, Team Vanquish, Gnome Bomb, and Vanquish Confirmed) and a four-player co-op mode called Garden Ops.
A deep set of customization options allow players to personalize and power up their favorite Plants and Zombie characters with an extensive variety of costumes, items, hats and other goodies.
All five game modes support “Boss Mode” tablet gameplay through the PlayStation App Companion Experience.
“We’ve been perfecting Garden Warfare and optimizing it for PlayStation gamers,” said Jeremy Vanhoozer of developer PopCap Games. “In addition to split-screen co-op on the PlayStation 4, players will be able to command the battlefield from Crazy Dave’s RV or Zomboss’ blimp by using their PlayStation Vita or the PlayStation App on their iOS and Android devices, making for endless combinations of multiplayer fun.”
That last phrase is worth pointing out. There is no single-player campaign or functionality in Garden Warfare.