Plants vs. Zombies

A year after its successful debut on computers, Plants vs. Zombies by PopCap Games, which made a name for itself as one of the most addictive tower defense titles of its time, also arrived on the Nintendo DS in 2010. The principle remains the same as on other platforms: the player defends their house from waves of zombies by planting plants with various abilities on the lawn, from peashooters through walnut walls to explosive cherries, all while managing a limited amount of sun energy gathered from sunflowers and falling from the sky.

The DS version makes use of both of the console's screens as well as touch controls – plants can be placed directly by dragging them with the stylus from the menu onto the lawn, while the second screen serves as an overview of the lawn's state, the progress map, or the menu of available plants and their upgrades. Portability suits especially well the principle of short, self-contained levels that can be played in just a few minutes on the go, without the player losing the thread of progress split across several environments – from a daytime garden through a nighttime lawn to a pool or a rooftop, where specific types of zombies and plants are added.

The combination of simple rules, humorous presentation, and gradually added types of plants and zombies makes it an ideal casual strategy game that retains depth even after many completed levels, further supplemented with minigames, puzzles, and a collectible garden for growing acquired plants, where you can experiment with their combinations without any time pressure. Unlike the computer version, where the player uses a mouse, the portable release had to cope with a smaller display and the more limited precision of the stylus, which the developers addressed with clear icons and sharply delineated tiles on the lawn. This made Plants vs. Zombies one of the most natural games for the DS's touch controls, and portability arguably suited it even better than the original computer version, since the short levels match exactly the pace of playing on the go. Why play it: For infectiously well-balanced strategic gameplay that newcomers and seasoned players alike will enjoy just as much.