Rework to the leveling system.
Hehe... there are so many different ideas that this one might be a bit controversial, since, like most people, I never liked leveling up my plants, but in the early days of the old beta, released in October, it seemed relatively sustainable... so I think it can be saved! How? Well, the first would be to lower the maximum level from 20 to just 12, making it a shorter path to take, the second change would be to reduce the attributes granted to make it less aggressive against zombies.
Example:
Shooters, Lobbers, Piercers and Shockers:
• +1 or 2 Damage per level
• +75 HP per level
• Secondary damage: +1 damage per level
Defenders and Overhead:
• +150 ~ +200 HP per level
• Knockback: +0,5 per level
Sun producers:
• Ability recharge: - 0,5s Every 2 levels
• Hybrid production rate: +3 for Every 3 levels
• +75 HP per level
Furthermore, the zombie progression system should be replaced again with Hazards; bringing this back is a viable option, since there is currently an elemental system of plants that fight against specific zombies, which, together, already fulfill the difficulty function.
Maybe with a smaller percentage increase in zombie attributes and only in a few stages!
Note: the "abilities" could benefit from a rework and be more similar to the Starpower from Brawl Stars, where you could use meteor fragments for that purpose.