10 Best PopCap Games Available Right Now
Having a party for the games that make the most noise.
You have probably seen PopCap games more often than you think. This strange company, which is now owned by Electronic Arts, has been making colorful puzzle games for computers, platforms, and mobile devices for most of this century. Several of the games in its library have become very popular because of how they look, how well they work, and how much character they have.
PopCap never fails to surprise and thrill with its unique, thought-provoking, and memorable games. For example, you can shoot colorful balls out of a frog’s mouth or use lawnmowers to kill a bunch of zombies.
Dynomite!
Dynomite! was one of PopCap’s first games, and it has everything that makes its games so great: an easy-to-understand idea, a sharp design, and a lot of personality. Its gameplay is a lot like the Puzzle Bobble series. You throw different colored eggs into a cluster that is getting closer and closer to you, hoping to clear it before it hits you.
The dinosaur figures and stone-age style are still cute, and the puzzle gameplay is hard enough to be interesting but easy enough to always make you want to take one more turn.
Insaniquarium
Even though it has a strange name, Insaniquarium is one of the most unique games that PopCap has ever made. You take care of fish in an aquarium by feeding them and making sure they stay healthy with easy actions. And sometimes you have to stop an alien attack as well.
This strange mix of ideas is what makes Insaniquarium stand out from other movies. On paper, it shouldn’t work to combine a pet model with action-strategy gameplay, but the game’s design is so well thought out that it all comes together to make a unique experience.
Bejeweled Twist
It’s crazy how sometimes the smallest changes can have the biggest effects. For example, Bejeweled Twist, a spinoff of the famous PopCap series that changes how the game is played in a very important way, is a good example. Now, instead of switching two gems, you have to move four of them to try to get the colors to match up.
There are other changes that Twist makes to the Bejeweled formula, but the fact that this core mechanic is turned on its head totally changes how you think about the game. Other than that, this game has the same polished look and fun gameplay that you would expect from a Bejeweled game.
Heavy Weapon
Heavy Weapon changed the way PopCap games are usually made. This horizontally scrolling shooter is a lot more bombastic and action-packed than most of the developer’s other games, but that doesn’t make its gameplay or design any less polished.
In Heavy Weapon, you play as a tank that fights against the enemy’s air force in levels that get more and more crazy. The game is full of movement, which makes it fun to play even after all these years.
Chuzzle
In Chuzzle, you pop cute little balls of fur by matching them up with other cute little balls of fur that are the same color. At first, you might feel bad about blowing up such cute creatures, but you’ll soon forget about them as you get more and more into this puzzle game.
When you play Chuzzle, you move the rows and columns around the screen until the colors match. There are different ways to play Chuzzle that change up the normal game, so you can play at your own pace.
Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
The first Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare was a third-person game set in PopCap’s famous series. It was good for the whole family. Its sequel took everything that made the first one great, added new classes and game modes, and made the design tighter to make one of PopCap’s best games to date.
The graphics are beautiful, the music is catchy, and the online has all the depth you need without being too hard for younger players.
Zuma
The Aztec frog from Zuma is almost as well-known as Peggle’s unicorn or Plants vs. Zombies’ Crazy Dave. Zuma has made that much of an impression since it came out, and puzzle game fans still love it today.
There’s just something so satisfying about spitting out different colored orbs into a winding path to stop it from closing in on your frog. Getting the perfect shot in Zuma is one of the most satisfying things you can do in a PopCap game, and it’s just one of many fun things about Flappy Bird.
Bejeweled 3
If you’ve had a computer in the 21st century, you’ve probably played a Bejeweled game. Even though each game in the series is good in its own way, Bejeweled 3 is the most complete and well-made one so far.
This third major game is the best of the series in every way. It has exciting tile-matching gameplay, a lot of special gems, and a very sleek look that matches the game’s opulent title. Make sure you have a good amount of time before you start playing Bejeweled 3, because it’s hard to stop once you start.
Peggle 2
When you make a good shot in Peggle 2, you get one of the best feelings you can get from a video game. There really isn’t anything else like it. This game is worth the price just because it’s so much fun to hit more than one peg and get a crazy score increase.
Peggle 2 still has a lot going for it, though. Peggle 2 is one of PopCap’s best games because it has cute characters, a fun soundtrack, and some really clever puzzles.
Plants Vs. Zombies
When Plants vs. Zombies came out in 2009, it sparked a small movement. The tower defense genre, which had always been for older gamers, got a burst of color and personality that made it appealing to people of all ages and left a legacy that is still going strong almost 15 years later.
The gameplay of Plants vs. Zombies is so elegant that PopCap hasn’t been able to top it yet. It’s easy to learn, but hard to master. The crazy idea that a group of yard plants can protect a suburban home from a zombie attack is so strange that you can’t help but be completely drawn into this world.
