My Review on Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville
I was planning on doing it on the fourth, but after certain events, I felt it was appropriate to do it now before everyone leaves. TL;DR: if you're here for the long run, don't bother. Otherwise, it's a fun game played casually. Don't participate in the community and don't expect anything from the developers. Relax and chill.
Gameplay
The gameplay is good but not great. The 20 playable characters are balanced well and are very diverse. Faction counterparts like Sunflower and Scientist are healers but one is a happy sunny plant while the other is a mobile medic with teleportation. Some have legendary upgrades like Rose's that replaces aiming for five orbs that are obtainable through support. Maps are from the PvZ comics and are similar between another shown by their layout. They're small and have some nice twists but aren't that special. Gamemodes include the popular Turf Takeover to the classic Team Vanquish and Ops. Battle Arena is Soil Survivors 2.0 and the are three PvE regions with many collectibles and unlockables. Overall, its fun but not enough and the lack of variants makes BFN lack its identity.
Presentation
The visuals and soundtrack of this game is phenomenal. It won't blow away the competition, but it certainly is worth looking at with its 4k capabilities and wacky OST. While many are reused, others are new and range from the alerting theme of Overtime! or the multiple hub world themes each month. Peter McConnell is certainly a talented composer, and the rest of the presentation team are also great at optimization and keeping this game looking great while keeping it running without burning. Overall, these graphics are good enough to distract you from many problems.
Content
Unfortunately, this is the worst part about BFN and that is the content. As of today, content will be recycled and nothing will be developed besides balancing and bugs. The game didn't have much to offer in the first place, so if you're thinking of playing this game non-stop, you might stop quickly. There's not much to earn besides Mr. Reward-o-Tron 9000 cosmetics that can run out easily or Rux cosmetics which are monetized currency that's difficult to obtain unless you handover your wallet. Prize maps are also somewhat victim to pay-to-win mechanics as some upgrades earned are deemed overpowered, good to keep that in mind. Other than that, the content in BFN is something to remember when picking up this game and you won't be playing for too long.
Conclusion
Sadly, unless you're an artist or musician, there's not much to look forward to in BFN. Ranging from lack of content to lack of support, you simply won't be playing this game as much as you would for other $40 games. And as much fun as it is, your question to buying this game is if you're looking for a casual experience or something you keep you interested until another game release. If you're looking for the latter, I'm sorry, but this isn't for you. If you're looking for a casual experience that's enjoyed time-to-time, this may be for you. Otherwise, for the founders and others before this tragic event, this game gets my rating of one angry Zomboss out of a crying Crazy Dave.
