Plantera Review

Plantera

Release: February 9, 2017
Publisher: Ratalaika Games
Developer: Ratalaika Games
Genre: Action, Genres, Indie, Other, Simulation
PEGI: E
Comments:

 

Comment

If Harvest Moon and a cute 2D tower defense game had a love child, it might look like Plantera for the Wii U and 3DS eshops. Build a garden, add animals, and defend that garden like crazy from outside threats! Plantera sounds like it might be a good game for simulation and tower defense fans…but is it?

The Wii U and 3DS versions of Plantera have some differences but the basic gameplay is the same between the two versions. Let’s cover the differences first.

Plantera for Wii U (pictured above) gives you a more widescreen look at your garden, which means you won’t have to scroll through your garden too much. Also, the menu to add new bushes, trees, animals, etc can stay up all the time and you can defend your garden while you decide what to add to it. This is a very handy feature that you won’t find on the 3DS version.

On the 3DS version of Plantera (pictured above), you are given a closer up of view of your garden, which means more scrolling and you don’t catch dangers as quickly as you do on Wii U. And when you pull up the menu to add stuff to your garden, the menu will take over the bottom screen of your 3DS and your garden will go to the top screen. This means that while you decide what to put in your garden, your garden can be attacked. 3DS gameplay is a little harder because of the differences to the Wii U version. Both versions have excellent controls though.

The controls for the Wii U and 3DS versions both work the same way. You use the touch screen on both systems to build and defend your garden. You can use the analog stick on both the Wii U and 3DS to scroll through your garden. All of these controls work great. Tapping on enemies to get them to go away is especially satisfying on both systems. The Wii U version of Plantera has TV and off-tv (mirrored) play. Unfortunately, not everything about Plantera is perfect.

My biggest complaint about Plantera on both systems is that there is no setup at all for the gameplay. Plantera has no story or introduction. There are also no tutorials to this game. If you do need help, there is a help menu with a lot of information, but I do think Plantera should have had an introduction of some kind or a basic tutorial. It seems like a small nitpick, but I think some kind of story/setup would’ve had made Plantera even better.

It should also be noted that Plantera is a game you’ll want to play in small doses. The gameplay in Plantera can get a little repetitve and you’ll find yourself zoning out after awhile. Its best to play a little, take a break, and then come back to the game later. Besides, when you take a break, your helpers will continue to work for awhile and make money for you! Thats a pretty cool feature!

Plantera is a very good game on both the Wii U and 3DS. It looks great on both systems too!

Plantera’s graphics are pretty much the same on both Wii U and 3DS. The graphics are cute, simple, and fun. The menus on both the Wii U and 3DS are well designed and easy to navigate. The Wii U game menu probably has a slight edge over the 3DS because you can leave it up all the time. Plantera looks excellent on both systems.

As for the game’s music, there isn’t much variety! Only one song plays over and over on both the Wii U and 3DS versions. However, the song isn’t annoying and never gets old. The sound effects on both versions are very good and more than make up for the lack of variety in the music. Overall, Plantera is a fun game that simulation and tower defense fans should check out!

Plantera is a really good game for both the Wii U and 3DS. There are not many differences between the two, the basic gameplay is the same, but if you own both systems you won’t have to choose which game to buy! Plantera has crossbuy, so if you buy it on one system, you’ll get it for the other.

Is Plantera a perfect game on either system? No, it lacks a setup and tutorials that could’ve introduced the game better to players. And Plantera is also a game you’ll want to play in small doses due to how repetitive the gameplay can be at times. That said, if you love simulation and/or 2D defense games, then you should definitely buy Plantera! The game is fun, cute, and looks great on both systems! Plus: you get two games for the price of one!

Thank you to Ratalaika Games for providing copies of this game for review. Plantera is now available on the Wii U and 3DS eshops.

Positives

• Cute Graphics
• Fun Gameplay
• Excellent controls
• Crossbuy

Negatives

• Lack of Tutorials
• Repetitive At Times
• No setup/story

Trailer