Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time has been delayed for worldwide release on the iOS, but Australia and New Zealand residents are currently enjoying the game as part of PopCap's final testing before it releases on a massive scale later this summer.

So far, from various reviews and gameplays from IGN, it seems that the game is on smooth roll. For those who are worried about the free-to-play model--and the possibility of paying a lot more than what you have experienced in the first game, Eurogamer reports in its pre-review that the game can be played with conservative references to your wallet for in-app purchases.

What's most noticeable about Plants vs. Zombies 2 is that it has three different worlds that you have to go into, unlike the first one wherein you're pretty much just trapped in the backyard of the house.

Eurogamer reports that you have three worlds, Ancient Egypt, Wild West with cowboy zombies, and nautical zombie-ness with pirates.

Here you can see Ancient Egypt, where there is a vast array of mummified zombie types. There is a zombie that will try to snatch away the sun from your sunflowers, a zombie that carries the torch and can burn your plants if it gets near, and a zombie that carries a tomb, which can take quite a lot of hits to destroy.

New breeds of plants

It's also hard to miss the new plants that can help you defend your territory against the brain-eating zombies. There is the iceberg lettuce, which freezes an enemy that gets too close. You also have the cabbage-pult, which takes out a huge battalion of zombies when paired with a power-up.

Another amusing add-on plant is the Bonk Choy, which punches an enemy that is near it, whether it's in front of behind the plant, perfect for close-range combating. You'll be seeing this hard at work not just with the zombie mummies, but also the graves, which you have to be careful of, as they can be a nuisance in killing far-off zombies.

As you can see in this gameplay, there is also the Bloomerang, which can have a continuous wave of hits, and can pack a pretty powerful hit combo when paired with a power-up.

New zombies coming for you

What's also new in Plants vs. Zombies 2 are the zombies themselves, with each map having a wide array of zombies to fight off.

As you can see in the Wild West level, there are the small fry cowboys to those riding the buffalos and can be hurled to get nearer to our territory, so careful planning for this stage is really necessary.

Power-ups for your life

What also makes Plants vs. Zombies 2 an entirely new playing field is that it has power-ups that make you feel so much powerful than before.

IGN presents a short gameply walkthrough featuring a tutorial on some of the in-game power-ups that you can master, namely the Pinch, the Toss, and the Zap.

For instance, the power-ups can wipe out all the zombies on the field in one go that it makes you feel as though you pressed a trigger somewhere. Of course, the power-ups are limited, and should be used sparingly but nonetheless, it's like a secret weapon that you can turn to in case you need to survive a huge wave.

3 worlds, scattered in time

There are also special levels and bonus missions, much like the first installment of the game. Here, you can see the special delivery conveyor belt of plants, and your mission to get the star for this level is to survive the attack of the zombies using only the plants that will roll out.

Lastly, another world that you can explore is the high seas, with pirate zombies coming after you.

So far, the game is on a pretty good balance of free-to-play and in-app temptation. There is a significant enough of a change for those who want more action as a level up from the first game, without completely changing the strategy-based approach that people have loved about Plants vs. Zombies.

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