Most people are likely coming into Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare as either a fan of the series or as someone who really likes multiplayer action. To be perfectly honest, the whole concept will probably seem a bit strange at first…the idea of plants and zombies doing battle in the context of tower defense scenarios. It’s the sort of charming title that sucks you in and swaddles you in color and zaniness. However, upon closer inspection, we find that it also contains a number of humorous references to popular FPS franchises, such as Call of Duty and Battlefield. It is this precise self-awareness (of its position in the video game universe) and serious, yet not so serious approach to gameplay which ultimately makes Garden Warfare a winner.

It’s important to note that this is the third installment in the Plants vs. Zombies series, and although its predecessors certainly garnered a lot of attention in their own right, this is perhaps the best outing for the franchise yet. What makes it so great? To boil it down to its lowest common denominator – the game is actually fun while offering up a solid, colorful, sharp and flexible platform for creative multiplayer team-based action. Moreover, it seems to be one of those all-inclusive games which isn’t shy about making references to other popular titles, which is a big plus if you’re looking for entertainment value.

The action is often frantic at times, although it is metered by the highly animated nature and style of the game itself. In this sense it almost feels a bit like a more “classic” PvP title (as opposed to the more “modern” offerings like “Titanfall”, for example). Your goal is always basically the same – take out the other team. Sometimes this means defending a garden and stealing a gnome bomb or completing objectives and wiping out the other team entirely. Regardless, you aren’t resigned to have to stick with one group or the other, that’s yet another novel feature of the game. Instead, you will need to learn what every playable character’s special traits and abilities are, in this way you eventually become a better fighter but also a more complete strategist.

Graphically speaking, Garden Warfare is eye candy, the kind of game that invites you in and lays out a nice comfortable place for you to explore. As previously mentioned, there’s quite a bit of color featured throughout the course of the action, which ends up making the whole affair feel very arcade-ish. Of course, this is one of the game’s strong points – delivering very accessible action with refined visuals inside of a cartoonish package which makes lengthy online battles with friends very easy to digest. In short, this is the type of game which is able to easily forge new communities, win you new friends and even bring gamers together from all over the world.

Whether or not you’ll get into Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare is entirely dependent on what you’re in the mood for, of course. Assuming that it is top-notch 3rd person multiplayer action inside of a basic tower defense premise, you’ll be most satisfied.