Plants Vs. Zombies is a powerhouse franchise for Popcap. Initially a PC game, it has been released on nearly every type of platform that one can play a game on – including a board game. Now it has a virtual pinball table in Zen Pinball 2 available.
While players do not control plants to fend off the zombie hoard, there are waves of undead that will periodically show up that will need to be dispatched with the pinball. The table is not just inspired by the game, but incorporates many elements. the table looks like a layout of the game, with a house where the flippers at the bottom are and lines of plants for the ball to traverse.
A number of familiar faces crop up from time to time, including Crazy Dave. His car will show up on the table and you can hit it for additional points and virtual items to help the score. At times stray zombies literally just crop up and need to be dispatched with the ball. Dispatching zombies will bring forth coins on the table that need to be collected (with the ball) and those coins are used at Crazy Dave’s to buy seeds. See, it’s not just random elements from Plants Vs. Zombies, but a solid translation to a pinball game.
Sink the ball into the flower pot to purchase the current seed. You can change the available seed by hitting the ball through one of the loops, so there is, as with most pinball games, a little strategy involved. The watermelon shot adds another layer of small strategy when dealing with a zombie that crops up on the table.
The pinball itself is also a pea from the pea shooter, a basic element in the game that inspired this table. Players in Plants Vs. Zombies are able to upgrade to a three-peater pea shooter, and that’s in here as well. That multiball action is crazy, especially when a zombie hoard rises from the table and advances towards the house.
Zen Pinball 2′ Plant’s Vs. Zombies table is short on plot but long on replay value. Even if you’re not a fan of the original game in any of its forms, but are a fan of pinball, there’s plenty here to enjoy. Those fans of Plants Vs. Zombies will recognize and appreciate some of the touches put into the game and might get more out it.