By Cultivating the garden
- by Liam Doolan
Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted didn’t begin on the best note upon its release on the Switch and Switch 2 in October, but the development crew at PopCap Studios has been tirelessly working to eliminate all the glitches and enhance the game with numerous updates.
If you’re struggling to keep up with the ongoing updates, the studio has now released a useful blog entry summarizing the title’s initial month in the garden. This essentially encapsulates the key updates and “what’s flourished” since the game’s debut – outlining what the team has succeeded in fixing, refining, and enhancing. Here’s the complete summary:
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Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted – Post Launch Updates So Far
“Hey Lawn Legends! It’s been nearly a month since PvZ: Replanted blossomed onto your screens, and we’ve been active in nurturing the lawn ever since. At launch, we had a few weeds, but due to your insights, encouragement, and steadfast sun-powered spirit, we’ve managed to refine, fix, and grow the game into a healthier, more vibrant garden.
“To our guardians of the lawn – Thank you! Your encouragement, passion, and belief in Plants vs. Zombies means everything to us. You aid this garden in flourishing. And to those about to grab the seed packets for the very first time, we can’t wait to witness your adventure bloom.”
Dynamic Audio Comes Back
Dynamic Audio was inadvertently absent at launch due to a technical glitch. However, you notified us promptly. With Patch 1.3.0, Dynamic Audio is officially restored and functioning as it should. Your lawns sound lively again!
Accessibility Features + Sun Magnet
Patch 1.4.0 also brought new accessibility features to make lawn defense smoother for everyone, including:
- High Contrast Mode
- Slow Speed Mode
- Disable Screen Shake
And indeed, the Sun Magnet feature is also available!
- R2 / RT / ZR on controllers
- Spacebar on keyboard
…will now attract all sun toward you.
PC players also obtained new key bindings for accelerating gameplay and cycling seed packets.
Fix for Offline Mode
Some of you observed that the game seemed to necessitate an internet connection at launch.
This glitch was promptly resolved in Patch 1.2.1, and PvZ: Replanted now functions perfectly offline. Whether you’re at home on PC, Xbox, or PlayStation, or on the move with your Steam Deck, or the Nintendo Switch family of systems.
Saves, Progress & Achievement Corrections
We also listened to your concerns regarding save data, progress tracking, minigame resets, and achievements not unlocking correctly.
These problems have been resolved throughout, including:
- User progress saving enhancements
- Accurate achievement triggers
- Distinct save files for I, Zombie and Vasebreaker
Hard(er) Mode
Want to challenge your gardening skills? For the dedicated green thumbs out there, Dr. Z has concealed a little surprise in Patch 1.4.0 for those bold enough to enable it.
As you can see, there has been ample refinement beneath the surface, so if you’d like to delve deeper here are all the patch notes:
You can find all of our updates regarding each of these patches in our previous coverage here on Nintendo Life. This includes several alterations and updates specific to the Nintendo iterations of the game.
How has your experience been with Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted since its arrival last month? Share your thoughts in the comments.
[source forums.ea.com]
Liam is a news journalist and reviewer for Hookshot Media. He has been writing about games for over 15 years and is a lifelong admirer of numerous iconic video game characters.