Yin, the streamer, smirked at the game's title.
His Twitch chat lit up with question marks.
"Name's so simple, but I'm confused as hell."
"Plants fighting zombies? Like a cartoon fever dream."
"Yin's mind is blown."
"Live-service vibes?"
"Those words don't mix."
"WindyPeak's out here being weird again…"
Yin was stumped, almost in disbelief. "Another quirky game?"
WindyPeak had dropped oddball titles before, but this was big. They were headlining IndieVibe's tenth Indie Game Fest, showcasing top indie games for a global push.
A strange game for such a spotlight? Gutsy.
Curious, Yin clicked the store page. The cover and promo poster popped up.
"Whoa, this is Plants vs. Zombies?"
Plants on one side, zombies on the other, locked in a comical face-off. The blunt name nailed it.
He scanned the tags: defense, strategy, puzzle, simulation, casual. Rated E for ages 6+.
"Six and up? WindyPeak making a kids' game?" Yin laughed, shocked.
WindyPeak's games usually started at E+ (12+). Overcooked had chaotic kitchen antics, To the Moon had romance—both E+. Catrio could've been E, but its tiny $10,000 budget dodged the rating system.
Their upper limit? Think Outlast's gore or A Way Out's heavy themes. Gamers joked: R (18+) was just WindyPeak's starting point.
Now, the studio known for bold, gritty 15+ and 18+ games was dropping a 6+ kids' title.
Chat went nuts:
"Baby's first WindyPeak game?"
"I'm a kid now!"
"My kid's gonna be a WindyPeak stan? Gus, you're wild! (lol)"
"Zombies? How's that 6+?"
"WindyPeak's got pull. Bet they charmed the rating board."
"These zombies are cuddlier than a cartoon critter."
"WindyPeak's taking over every age group."
"From 18+ bangers to 6+ cuteness—Gus is a legend."
"Same guy who made A Way Out did this? Insane."
Zoey Parker, watching the stream, raised an eyebrow. Chat was clueless, but she knew the game's deal.
"Did you work some magic?" she asked, curling up on the couch and nudging Gus Harper's arm with her foot. "Cartoon zombies aren't heavy, sure, but with heads and limbs flying, how'd you snag an E rating? Backdoor deal?"
"Nah, ratings aren't that cut-and-dry," Gus said, shaking his head. "It's not just about violence. Graphic stuff can push you to 15+ or 18+, but reviewers look at the game's core."
He leaned back. "Overcooked is all about kitchen chaos, so it's E+. To the Moon leans into love and loss—same deal."
Zoey snickered, recalling Overcooked's kitchen fires.
Gus waved a hand. "Plants vs. Zombies isn't about body parts. It's strategy and defense in a cartoon wrapper. E rating's a no-brainer."
He smirked at Zoey. "Think I care about ratings?"
She snorted. Fair point. The guy behind A Way Out's brutal bosses wasn't sweating a 6+ label.
"Let's check this kids' game," Yin said on stream, pumped. "What's with the neighbor blasting kiddie tunes? Someone tell the landlord to shut it down."
Chat chuckled as Yin paid $2 and downloaded the game.
The screen faded to black, gold text glowing:
WindyPeak Games
Steel Chain Fingers Studio
Directed by Gus Harper
Beep, beep, beep!
An alarm blared. A hand reached from under a blanket, smacking the clock.
Sunlight streamed in. A sunflower grooved in a pot, vibing to an unseen rhythm.
A chubby guy in a white shirt got up, grabbed a pot from a cupboard, and slapped it on his head like a helmet. He opened the fridge, revealing a burrito and blinking pea seedlings with round mouths.
A chill, quirky scene.
Then, a figure shambled into view on the dirt road outside.
Green skin, tattered clothes, wobbly steps, grumbling noises. A big head with sparse hairs, one eye bigger than the other, oozing "brainiac" energy.
Zombies. Lots of them.
They trudged toward the garden, one snagging an ice cream cone off the ground and popping it on its head.
Rustling footsteps followed.
The guy in the white shirt planted a pea seedling on the lawn. Sunflowers swayed, pea shooters stood tall, grumpy squash glared, nut walls braced, and drooling piranha plants loomed.
The garden became a warzone. Peas fired, twisting zombies into knots. Squash leaped, smashing foes. Piranha plants munched the zombie buffet.
A final pea shot rang out—bang!
The logo flashed: Plants vs. Zombies
Click to Start
Gus had repurposed a slick trailer from a later game concept, making it Plants vs. Zombies' opening. It hit perfectly.
Chat lost it:
"Too cute!"
"Pea sprouts are stealing my heart."
"That nut wall's grumpy face is gold."
"Nut: Call me a potato again, I dare you!"
"Lmao, it's a nut, not a potato."
"Sunflowers are the stars, dancing like champs."
"I'm rooting for zombies. Ice cream cone guy's my dude—ugly but adorable."
"Piranha plant… I'm having ideas."
"Chill, bro…"
"Why not try?"
The opening hooked everyone. Not too kiddy, not overly cute—just fun for all.
"Not bad," Yin said, grinning. Even the tough-guy streamer couldn't resist the plants' charm.
He clicked to start, a playful tune kicking in—ding-ding, like kids trick-or-treating, spooky yet fun.
Yin named his house. A note appeared, scrawled sloppily:
"Yo, we're crashing your place. - Zombies"
"Three typos in one line," Yin laughed. "And they're super polite."
Rustling sounded. A dirt path unrolled in the garden.
Click a seed card!
Yin grabbed a card from the top. "Pea Shooter, nice."
He planted it at the path's edge. "Zombies'll come down the dirt, so this hits both sides."
Defense game vets nodded. Yin's placement was classic: front-line defense to test enemies, saving space for bigger setups.
Standard play. Chat agreed.
Two suns dropped from the sky. Yin collected them, planting another Pea Shooter nearby.
"Kids' game, huh?" he said, smirking. "This tutorial's so easy, my daughter Lily could crush it."
He stood, stretching. "BRB, bathroom break. This level's cake."
As he stepped away, drums thumped. Zombie groans echoed.
Chat waited, hyped for the Pea Shooter's action.
Then—crunch, crunch, crunch!
A big-headed zombie strolled out, stopping at the first Pea Shooter. It opened its mouth, grabbed the plant, and chowed down like it was at a salad bar.
Chat exploded:
"What?!"
"No way!"
"Zombies eating plants now?"
"They're chomping the defenses? That's the tower spot!"
"Bug?"
"No bug—check the eating animation!"
"Zombies can eat plants?"
"Oh, snap! The grass is the path. Zombies go straight, and you gotta stack plants to stop them before they reach the house."
"Kids' game? This is savage!"
"Plant smarter, not sooner!"
"Yin's screwed."
"Lmao, wait for his face…"
"They're at the door!"
Chat was electric. The first Pea Shooter took out one zombie before getting munched. The second killed another but fell to three zombies in the Last Wave prompt.
Crunch, crunch. Both Pea Shooters were gone.
Two zombies strolled toward the house.
Footsteps. Yin returned, chill. "How're my Pea Shooters? They owning?"
He froze, smile fading. Surprise turned to confusion, then panic.
Two seconds of silence.
Then a wild yell: "What the hell?! My Pea Shooter's toast!"