Chomper


 * For other versions, see Chomper (disambiguation).

Chomper is a multi-use instant-kill plant appearing in both main series Plants vs. Zombies games. It is an unlockable plant in the first game, and a premium plant in the second game.

Chomper can devour most types of zombies, instantly killing them in the process. However, after eating an enemy, Chomper will require a large amount of time to devour the victim, exposing itself to other zombies' attacks in the process. When faced with inedible targets such as tombstones, mechanical threats, and Gargantuars, Chomper will instead attempt to damage them with its bites.

Origins
Chomper is based on the Venus flytrap, with a design similar to the Piranha Plant from the Super Mario series. Its name is related to the verb chomp, meaning the act of chewing and munching something loudly or heavily.

Plants vs. Zombies
Chomper is obtained by completing Level 1-7. After chomping a zombie, Chomper will require 42 seconds before it can eat another. When facing with a Gargantuar or its tougher variant, Chomper will attempt to bite at a similar speed to Peashooter, dealing 2 normal damage shots worth of damage for each bite.

Completing a level using only Sunflower, Wall-nut, and Chomper will grant the player the Nom Nom Nom achievement.

Plants vs. Zombies 2
Chomper was released on October 7th, 2014 along with the Big Wave Beach Part 1 teaser Piñata Parties, and is currently available for purchase at $3.99. Its digest time was reduced to 30 seconds, and its bites now also have increased damage, dealing 10 normal damage shots worth of damage each.

Chomper cannot devour the following enemies:
 * Gargantuar variants
 * Barrel Roller Zombie's barrel.
 * Imp Cannon
 * Zombie Bull
 * Pianist Zombie
 * Mecha-Football Zombie
 * Robo-Cone Zombie
 * Disco-tron 3000
 * Zombie King
 * Fisherman Zombie
 * Zombie Chicken and Ice Weasel (instantly kills with bites instead)

Plants vs. Zombies
Chomper

Chompers can devour a zombie whole, but they are vulnerable while chewing.

Damage: massive

Range: very short

Special: long delay between chomps

Chomper almost got a gig doing stunts for The Little Shop of Horrors but it fell through when his agent demanded too much on the front end. Chomper's not resentful, though. He says it's just part of the business.

Cost: 150

Recharge: fast

Plant Food effect
When fed with Plant Food, Chomper will unleash a high intensity wind that will drag the three nearest zombies to it and then push the surviving zombies away by releasing a burp. If it pulls in any inedible zombies, it will deal 50 normal damage shots to those zombies. In the Chinese version, it will pull in only two zombies instead of three.

Costumed
Chomper now does a longer burp.

Plants vs. Zombies
Chomper's main value in the plant arsenal is found in its ability to instantly devour tougher zombies such as Buckethead Zombies, Zombonis, and Football Zombies, who would otherwise be able to soak up a considerable amount of damage and allow their comrades to advance. However, this comes at a great price, as Chomper will be rendered inactive for a very long while and exposing itself to attacks after devouring an enemy, regardless of who the victim was - a basic Zombie and a Football Zombie will take the same amount of time to be digested. Chomper also has dismal performance against Gargantuars, due to its low range and bite damage.

As the Tree of Wisdom suggest, delaying plants, in particular Wall-nut, can help Chomper by buying additional time for Chomper to digest its victims. These include the following:
 * Defensive plants: Wall-nut, Tall-nut and Pumpkin.
 * Slowing and freezing plants: Snow Pea, Winter Melon, and Ice-shroom.

I, Zombie
It is suggested to use Digger Zombie to eat a Chomper from the back, it cannot eat zombies backwards.

In ZomBoogie, Dancing Zombies are useful in countering Chomper, as they can summon Backup Dancers as shields while advancing. Deploying a Dancing Zombie between two lanes guarded with Chomper should be able to clear up to three lanes with little trouble, and additional regular Zombies can also be placed to ensure that the Chompers are defeated.

In All your brainz r belong to us, there is usually only one lane with Chompers. Digger Zombie is advised for assaulting this particular lanes, but the player should remember to check Magnet-shroom on adjacent lanes that can force Digger Zombie to surface.

Nom Nom Nom achievement
To get this achievement, complete the level using only Sunflower, Wall-nut, and Chomper. It is advised to obtain this achievement by playing a Day level after finishing the game due to the low amount of zombies present there. The Garden Rake and Lawn Mowers can also be helpful in giving the player more time to gather sun.

Plants vs. Zombies 2
Chomper has received a few buffs, namely its reduced digest time and increased bite damage, which makes it more effective when faced with inedible targets, particularly Zombie Bull and mechanical threats in Far Future. However, poor performance against groups of weaker enemies remains a problem to Chomper. In addition, Chomper is also generally inferior to Toadstool, which has a greatly increased range and can generate sun after digesting zombies.

The player can use disabling plants like Stunion, E.M.Peach and Stallia against inedible targets first to allow Chomper to deal more damage. Tombstones, surfboards, frozen blocks and arcade machines also count as inedible targets, causing the Chomper to bite them, destroying them in a few bites as long as it is not busy devouring zombies. In Ancient Egypt, Chomper is useful against Pharaoh Zombies, as it can devour both the zombie and the sarcophagus unlike most other instant-kill plants. In Wild West and Frostbite Caves, Chomper is useful for stopping Chicken Wrangler Zombies and Weasel Hoarders from releasing their chickens or weasels. It is also useful in Dark Ages since it can eat Knight Zombies easily as well as boosted zombies from Dark Alchemy. In Big Wave Beach, it is useful against Surfer Zombie as they can devour both the zombie and the surfboard. In Modern Day, it is useful against Newspaper Zombie as they can devour the zombie, ignoring the newspaper.

Avoid using Chomper against Explorer Zombies as they can easily destroy it without being devoured. The same thing applies to MC Zom-B.

There is a way to get over Chomper's weakness of its long chew time. You may simply dig it up while it is chewing and replace it with a new one. This strategy is great if the player has one to three of the Shovel Boost Upgrades since the player can refund more sun.

General

 * Its design might be based on Piranha Plants.

Specific to Plants vs. Zombies

 * No matter what type of zombie it eats, the arm hanging out of its mouth is an arm of a regular Zombie (wearing a brown coat sleeve).
 * If it is smashed, its flattened sprite will always have no zombies or arms, and will have an open mouth regardless of whether it was digesting a zombie or not.
 * If it is planted directly in front of a bobsled, it will eat the sled and all four zombies in it.
 * According to the Plants vs. Zombies website, Chomper costs 175 sun, while it really only costs 150.
 * Its Almanac entry states that it was going to be a movie star. Its explicit reference to the Little Shop of Horrors movie may be due to the fact that it resembles Audrey II, the carnivorous monster plant from that movie.
 * On the Nintendo DS and Android versions of Plants vs. Zombies, its Almanac entry replaces "The Little Shop of Horrors" with "Hollywood."
 * It, on the start-up screen for Plants vs. Zombies, does not have spikes on the back of its head. It is one of the plants shown on the loading screen, the others being Sunflower, Peashooter, Repeater, Wall-nut, Tall-nut, and Cactus.
 * In the art cover of the Plants vs. Zombies Original Soundtrack, it is visible singing along with the Squash and Sun-shroom. This version has three spikes on its head, while the in-game Chomper has four.
 * When a Pole Vaulting Zombie (while it still has its pole) runs into it (not chewing), it will attempt to chomp, but fail to catch the vaulting zombie.
 * In the PC demo version, when it eats a zombie, the player will hear the noise when a zombie eats a plant, as well as its normal biting sound.
 * According to the Tree of Wisdom, it and Wall-nut were roommates in college.
 * The idea of it was from Swiss Family Robinson, George Fan's favorite movie. The idea was from a tiger in a hole, that would eat pirates.

Specific to Plants vs. Zombies 2

 * No matter what type of zombie it eats, the arm hanging out of its mouth does not wear any shirt sleeve and look identical to a regular zombie.
 * The code for it was in the game until the 1.4 update, but was re-added in the 2.5.1 update as a fully functional plant.
 * It was mentioned in Dark Ages - Night 20 dialogue by Crazy Dave. He said: "Except Chomper. He has to. Dude needs the fiber." so as to tease Big Wave Beach and its return.
 * It sometimes mimics dog-like behavior by scratching its head with its leaves.
 * Impfinity also does this in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes.
 * It can swallow Chicken Wrangler Zombies without them releasing Zombie Chickens. The same thing happens with Weasel Hoarders.
 * It is one of the five plants that make noises in the Almanac, the others being Electric Blueberry, Sweet Potato, Sap-fling, and Chard Guard.
 * When it swallows a zombie, it will spew out an eyeball while burping.
 * It and Toadstool are the only plants that can eat zombies.
 * It is featured for free in Big Wave Beach - Days 3, 14, and 16.
 * Its Plant Food effect resembles a vacuum cleaner as it makes the same sounds and its stalk does a pumping animation.
 * It is the first plant in this game with no eyes, the second being Witch Hazel.
 * Coincidentally, they are both premium plants.
 * Primal Rafflesia has no eyes either, but Primal Rafflesia belongs to Plants vs. Zombies 2 (Chinese version).