The Optimal Solution for This Level: Place 70 Squash Zombies

Summary

In the Plants vs. Zombies fandom, a player named Magic-MoYin created two clever custom levels, "!?WoWo?!" and "The Emperor's Campaign," and explored an interesting mechanic: Squash Zombies don't eat brains but still deal 1 damage to the brain, which has 70 HP, meaning the theoretical optimal solution is to place 70 Squash Zombies. This seemingly absurd conclusion contains clever level design ideas. The article showcases the design and highlights of these two levels with images and references, including a bibliography and code. For players, these custom levels offer fresh challenges and encourage rethinking of classic game mechanics. For the industry, it demonstrates the potential and creativity of player-made content, showing that classic IPs still have strong vitality and can inspire ongoing fan creation and deep exploration. Although these levels are not particularly difficult, their subtle tricks are worth appreciating, and they also provide community-driven inspiration for official developers.