Line #43 YMMV/PlantsVsZombies


1	!!Subpages:
2	[[index]]
3	* ''YMMV/PlantsVsZombies1''
4	* ''YMMV/PlantsVsZombies2ItsAboutTime''
5	* ''YMMV/PlantsVsZombiesHeroes''
6	* ''YMMV/PlantsVsZombiesGardenWarfare''
7	* ''YMMV/PlantsVsZombiesBattleForNeighborville''
8	[[/index]]
9	----
10	!!Franchise-wide:
11	* AudienceAlienatingEra: Starting in 2019, newer installments of the franchise would prove increasingly unpopular with fans.
12	** The designs of the new plants and zombies in ''Plants vs. Zombies 2''[='=]s didn't prove as popular with fans as the original game's, namely due to deviating from the original game's artstyle and having animations considered inferior to the original game's. Additionally, the game made a number of other changes that proved unpopular like removing a lot of the gimmick Brain Buster levels and requiring you to get seed packets to unlock the base game's normal world plants.
13	** And after all the time spent waiting for another ''Garden Warfare'' game, ''GW'' fans instead got ''Battle for Neighborville'', which was generally seen as not as memorable or fun as the ''Garden Warfare'' titles, and [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks changed a lot about what made them enjoyable.]] But despite that, ''Battle for Neighborville'' was still generally positively received, and had its own strengths.
14	** ''Plants vs. Zombies 3'' and its betas have proven to be the most controversial installment by far. The initial betas were panned for a controversial new artstyle, gameplay considered dumbed-down from the original game, and initially attempting to mimic ''[[VideoGame/ClashRoyale Clash Royale]]'' for the original version, then later ''{{VideoGame/Gardenscapes}}'' for the new version following the release of second beta. In response, the developers released a new beta closer in line with the original games which was seen by fans as a step in the right direction albeit with many flaws, some such criticisms including short levels that are either too easy or too hard, an overabundance of tutorials, the introduction of a lives system alongside more mobile game-esque elements, and the removal of Plant Food and the ability to choose your plants, both of which were presented in the 2020 iteration of ''[=PvZ3=]''. Making matters worse for fans was how player critique and feedback were seemingly not taken into account in spite of the developers claiming to listen and the revelation that this would be the final version of the game.
15	* DemonicSpiders: [[DemonicSpiders/PlantsVsZombies Has its own page.]]
16	* DifficultySpike: For every ten successful plays in "Vasebreaker: Endless" the game starts throwing an extra Gargantuar at you per screen, which puts things into LuckBasedMission territory. Eventually, it becomes virtually impossible to get any further without cheating.
17	* EnsembleDarkHorse: Even though the January 2024 beta of ''[=PvZ3=]'' was received extremely poorly, Tugboat became popular amongst the fans for being a basic Browncoat Zombie with a surprisingly amount of charm and personality. Though the character isn't new due to him already appeared in the comics.
18	* {{Fanon}}:
19	** Humanization fanarts of Sunflower almost always draw her as dark-skinned blonde.
20	** Due of their similar appearances, fans like to depict Fume-Shroom, Puff-Shroom, and Scaredy-Shroom as brothers or a BadassFamily.
21	*** This interpretation is also common among plants that also look like they're related, such as Wall-nut and Tall-nut, the pult plants being brothers, Sunflower and Twin Sunflower (and less commonly Marigold), and Peashooter with Repeater, Snow Pea, Threepeater, Split Pea, and Gatling Pea.
22	*** The Shrooms being a BadassFamily became semi-official in some of the ''[=PvZ=]'' Manhua.
23	* FanNickname:
24	** Conehead Zombies sometimes have their names simplified as "Coneheads" or "Coneys". AscendedFanon as of ''Heroes'' as a Conehead Zombie unit exists and is simply called "Conehead".
25	** Basic Zombies are called "Basics".
26	** Ducky Tube Zombies is often called "Ducktube".
27	** Buckethead Zombies are called "Buckets" or Buckethead"
28	** Garganturars are shortened to be "Gargs".
29	* FanPreferredCouple: Don't expect to go long without seeing Peashooter and Sunflower shipped together. Somewhat justified, since they're contested by the fans for the role of SeriesMascot.
30	* GameBreaker: Has [[GameBreaker/PlantsVsZombies its own page]].
31	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff:
32	** China practically ''adores'' the series. They have two exclusive versions of ''Plants vs. Zombies'', ''several'' exclusive ''Plants vs. Zombies'' spin-offs, and four [[NoExportForYou exclusive areas]] in ''Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time''. In addition, their version of the second game is vastly different from the international version, completely throwing the AllegedlyFreeGame reputation of the original out the window in favor of more rigorous skill-oriented gameplay (initially starting by keeping the stars and gates mechanics from older international versions), new mechanics such as leveling, more returning plants, and delivering fresh content such as new plants each month. The latter's additions eventually began to outnumber that of the international version. This is because [=PopCap=] Shanghai was unaffected by the merger with EA, allowing them to create other games and an entire alternate version of the second game without restraint, often leading to [[BrokenBase fans debating whether or not Shanghai has a much better grip on the franchise than EA does.]]
33	** The franchise has a large following in Spanish (and to a lesser extent, Russian-speaking) countries, videos on [=YouTube=] often get high amounts of views.
34	* GoddamnedBats: [[GoddamnedBats/PlantsVsZombies Has its own page.]]
35	%% ZCE; why? * MemeticBadass: If you see Newspaper Zombie in a difficulty mod, [[AdaptationalBadass be]] [[LightningBruiser ready]] [[DemonicSpiders for]] [[LetsGetDangerous hell]].
36	* MemeticMutation: [[Memes/PlantsVsZombies They are coming!]]
37	* MemeticPsychopath: Mo from the January 2024 ''Plants vs. Zombies 3'' beta, due to him running over Crazy Dave's garden. Which is used to grow [[WouldHurtAChild little plants]]. Naturally, jokes started to pop up that Mo killed the little plants like [[Memes/RevengeOfTheSith younglings]] and that Mo was a psychotic murderer, mostly spurred on by the fanbase of the [=YouTuber=] [[https://www.youtube.com/@Creeps20 Creeps20.]]
38	* TheScrappy: Officer Ron from ''Adventures'' wasn't very well-liked, due to his ScrappyMechanic of forcing you to carpool with real-life Facebook friends, which started out as 2 at the least, but said amount would gradually increase as you progressed through the game. If you didn't have enough friends, you would instead have to pay a gradually-increasing amount of gems. Because of this, more than a few would have wanted to see him get eaten by the zombies.
39	* ScrappyWeapon: [[ScrappyWeapon/PlantsVsZombies Has its own page.]]
40	* {{Sequelitis}}: Unfortunately the overall general consensus on the franchise as a whole. Which is also likely the main reason why most people outside its fandom only really remember the original game. with ''[=PvZ2=]'' getting a lot of hate, yet still having its charm, while ''[=PvZ3=]'' was seen as the death of the franchise. The spin-offs aren't immune either, with ''Heroes'' not getting the same recognition or popularity as ''Garden Warfare'', and ''Battle for Neighborville'' being poorly received and seen as a harsh step down for the shooters. [[AvertedTrope The only universally accepted aversion]] to this has been ''Garden Warfare 2'', which is generally regarded as a hidden gem and CultClassic within the world of the HeroShooter genre.
41	* {{Squick}}: The health-related {{Very Special Episode}}s of the manhuas take MostWritersAreHuman a bit too far, implying plants have human biology (including but not limited to bones, digestion, excrement, and reproduction) regardless of species. Not the most pleasant mental image when you're already trying to swallow a lecture about the Zika virus or the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic.
42	* TearJerker:
43	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2q94ofpwzs The Chinese New Year trailer]] for the Chinese exclusive ''Plants vs. Zombies Online'' is the saddest official ''Plants vs. Zombies'' media. It stars a Buckethead Zombie whose son [[WhenYouComingHomeDad can't get along with him for being gone so long]], and they soon have a good time together. On Chinese New Year night, a long while after the Buckethead Zombie puts his bucket away and leaves, his son grows restless once again for not returning sooner, just when he reads the note his father left him and sees the TV showing zombies seemingly being fired at with firecrackers. He opens up the box containing the bucket his father wore and placed on his son's head when they bonded, and sheds a tear, implying his father died. [[WhatMeasureIsAMook This will definitely make you regret killing all of those zombies.]]
44	** The Chinese story ''The Legend of Heroes'' reveals [[VideoGame/PlantsVsZombiesHeroes Solar Flare]] has been through a lot. Even before the Herotron incident, she was a rich kid without a proper home life due to her parents working overseas, and [[SpoiledSweet gave back to her friends since she really didn't have any other idea of what to do with all her money]]. All was fine until her friends (a Jalapeno and Lotus Shooter) saw her with a young Green Shadow/Penelopea, and immediately broke off (whether this was due to a broken promise or [[MistakenForGay some other form of jealousy]] is never specified) until Flare found the motivation from a Torchwood to speak to them again. In the present, Flare is, among other things, subject to a DeadlyPrank that stiffs her university out of an extremely valuable grant program, MistakenForTerrorist by an adult Penelopea and forced to fight her (causing ''another'' PR disaster that eventually forces Citron[[note]]The Far Future plant, not the Hero[[/note]] to quit LEAF), and it's implied that Flare and Penelopea's relationship is quite ironically ''not'' all sunshine and rainbows no thanks to the amount of times they've been turned against each other. [[SadClown All that, and yet the kid continues fighting with that huge smile of hers]].
45	%% ZCE * TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The franchise's most common criticism in its later years, starting in 2019 with ''Battle for Neighborville'' and ''Plants vs. Zombies 3: Welcome to Zomburbia''. Refer to the AudienceAlienatingEra entry above for more info.
46	* UglyCute: The zombies. Wall-eyed, lopsided, with snaggle teeth and endearingly {{Narm}}-y voices. They've been [[MascotMook very successfully merchandised]] as a result of this trope, with several sets of plushies and vinyl figures.

Context YMMV / PlantsVsZombies