Neon Mixtape Tour


 * For the Chinese version, see Neon Mixtape Tour (Chinese version).

Neon Mixtape Tour is the eighth world in Plants vs. Zombies 2 released with the 3.9.1 update. It was soft released on August 20, 2015 and officially released on August 25. Cactus and Electric Blueberry are the premium plants released alongside this world for Part 1 and Part 2 respectively showcased in the teaser parties.

Despite appearing to be a nighttime world like Dark Ages, sun still falls from the sky and the levels themselves are called days.

Origins
This world takes place in the 1980s, when there were a lot of bands representing a variety of musical genres, such as pop, punk, or metal. Jams, the environment modifier of this world, represent that variety through gameplay (more info below). Crazy Dave also claims to remember this period from when he was a kid.

Game description
''Stock up on hairspray and rewind to the 1980s! With synthesized music and voraciously radical zombies, this heinous party will, like, totally tax you to the MAX!''

Order of Events
The player can gain access to Neon Mixtape Tour using a World Key that can be obtained on Ancient Egypt - Day 8.

After beating Day 15, Crazy Dave mentions that someone has passed him a note that says to meet behind the bike racks at lunchtime for a funderful surprise. On Day 16, Dr. Zomboss writes a note before a huge zombie attack.

On Day 32, Dr. Zomboss references the Rick Astley song "Never Gonna Give You Up". He then attacks the player with his Zombot Multi-stage Masher. After the level is beaten, Penny exclaims that it was close and fears that they only hit pause on Dr. Zomboss's heinous deal. Dr. Zomboss says that the next verse will be the same and yet worse and goes to when the player cannot imagine.

Jam
Jam is the main gimmick of Neon Mixtape Tour that changes the music of the gameplay at any time. Differently from other worlds, the music will make the zombies move faster or slower, and also make special zombies, who are Punk Zombie, Glitter Zombie, MC Zom-B, Breakdancer Zombie, Arcade Zombie's arcade machine, and Hair Metal Gargantuar, exhibit their special ability. They will only exhibit their special ability if their preferred music or jam is playing. There are six jams in total.


 * The punk jam makes its first appearance on Day 1, which makes Punk Zombie mosh the plants back a free space, and also makes zombies go two times faster. When it starts to play, there will be flame trails on the top and the bottom of the screen. The top flame trail bursts every few beats, and the bottom bursts when the jam starts.
 * The pop jam makes its first appearance on Day 1, which makes Glitter Zombie trail a rainbow trail that protects and removes all negative effects for all zombies within it (except other Glitter Zombies), this jam allows her to simply roll on and crush plants with its skates, and also makes zombies go two times slower. When it starts to play, there will be neon lasers (less visible since Neon Mixtape Tour's side B update) and a disco ball which makes appears a lot of small lights on the lawn.
 * The rap jam makes its first appearance on Day 1, which makes MC Zom-B spin its microphone to kill all non-defensive plants around it instantly in a 3x3 area, similar to Phat Beet. The rap jam also enables Breakdancer Zombie to push zombies forward. The rap jam also does not make zombies go faster or slower. When it starts to play, there will be lights and a TV with Dr. Zomboss' green face with two big speakers between that.
 * The metal jam makes its first appearance on Day 12, which makes Hair Metal Gargantuar smash to create a sonic blast that can instantly kill a non-defensive plant at the rightmost lane from a distance, and also makes zombies go two times faster. When it starts to play, there will be fireworks and lights on the top and bottom of the lawn.
 * The 8-bit jam makes its first appearance on Day 22, which makes the arcade machines that the Arcade Zombie pushes start producing 8-bit versions of three basic zombie variants, also known as 8-Bit Zombies (which comes in Basic, Conehead, and Buckethead variations). It does not make zombies move faster or slower. When it starts to play, there will be pink fog at the top and the bottom of the screen and the tiles on the ground will play a lot of various light movements, as if the lawn was a dance floor.
 * The ballad jam makes its first appearance on Day 27. It will tranquilize all plants currently on the lawn, but will not tranquilize plants that are planted after the jam plays, ground plants, and Phat Beet. The jam will last for approximately 8 seconds for each Boombox Zombie. The jam will continue on if there is still a Boombox Zombie playing even after one is dead. The power ballad jam overrides all types of jams that are currently playing. The lawn will return to normal as if the boombox is actually playing the song. It makes zombies move two times slower.

Difficulty
Neon Mixtape Tour is a very hard world. It contains eighteen somewhat hard-hard days, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 31, and five very hard days, 5, 21, 26, 30, and 32. It is relatively harder than the previous world, Dark Ages.
 * Easiest level: Neon Mixtape Tour - Day 1
 * Hardest level: Neon Mixtape Tour - Day 32

Walkthrough

 * See Neon Mixtape Tour/Walkthrough.

Trivia

 * Thematically, this world is set during nighttime as proved by its background and Crazy Dave saying that it is "two minutes to midnight" on Day 16. However, this does not explain the fact that sun still falls from the sky.
 * The only regular level that takes place in Neon Mixtape Tour where sun does not fall from the sky is Rescue the Gold Bloom - Step 2.
 * Crazy Dave saying 'two minutes to midnight' is however a reference to the song '2 Minutes to Midnight' by 80s metal band Iron Maiden.
 * This is the second world to have the miniaturized version of the player's house lawn in the world map, the first being Far Future.
 * Two Modern Day zombies can be seen on the world picture.
 * In the level selection screen, on the lawn by the house, the DJ panel has a zombie on it, while the one in-game has an exclamation mark.
 * This may suggest that the zombie was the original design but was changed later.
 * Unlike worlds before it, the two parts of Neon Mixtape Tour are called Side A and Side B, respectively. This references the side A and side B tracks of cassette tapes and records prevalent in the 1980s.
 * Like Wild West and Jurassic Marsh, Neon Mixtape Tour has no surprise attacks.
 * Neon Mixtape Tour is the second world to be staged in the player's backyard in Plants vs. Zombies 2, with the first being Player's House (PvZ2).
 * Neon Mixtape Tour is the only world that does not have an Ultimate Battle theme and the first world (the second being Big Wave Beach) not to have a Brainiac Maniac theme.
 * Neon Mixtape Tour is the second world where the Gargantuar level stage is represented by a hand holding a World Key, the first being Lost City, the third being Jurassic Marsh, and the fourth being Modern Day. That was before the 5.2.1 update.
 * Also before the 5.2.1 update, the portal was underneath the Gargantuar podium, but the Zomboss podium doesn't have the portal underneath.
 * Neon Mixtape Tour is the only world without a note before the Gargantuar battle.
 * Every zombie in this world has hair (except 8-Bit Zombie).
 * Coincidentally, the music in Neon Mixtape Tour Piñata Parties is in the same key as the regular ballad jam in Neon Mixtape Tour gameplay. The music are both in F-sharp minor.
 * The note is mentioned by Crazy Dave however when the player beats the 15th level for the first time.
 * Lost City and Neon Mixtape Tour are currently the only worlds to have a low-opacity icon in the level chooser screen instead of a semi-cyan or semi-dark color icon.
 * This is the first world since Far Future to not have five plants to be obtained in the world.
 * If one listens closely at the Seed Chooser (or turn off the music volume in the pause menu and turn up the sound effects), they can barely hear arcade machines being played.
 * There is an arcade machine on the map that is titled "Brendan Blast" when scrolling.
 * Hypnotized zombies from this world do not react to any playing jam.
 * Neon Mixtape Tour has the highest number of ways that a plant can be destroyed, being 8 in total.
 * Punk Zombies can insta-kill a plant by kicking it off the lawn during its jam.
 * Glitter Zombies can instantly kill non-low and non-ground plants by rolling them over during its jam.
 * MC Zom-Bs can spin its microphone in a 3x3 area, instantly taking out most plants around him in one shot.
 * Arcade Zombies can crush plants with its arcade machine.
 * Hair Metal Gargantuar can send shockwaves that instantly destroy all non-defensive plants.
 * Hair Metal Gargantuar can also crush a plant directly with its guitar.
 * Zombot Multi-stage Masher can send shockwaves with his speakers.
 * He can also smash plants to death by summoning speakers.
 * Neon Mixtape Tour, Frostbite Caves, and Jurassic Marsh are currently the only worlds to not have a world-exclusive Brain Buster.
 * There appears to be a green liquid spilled on the stage.
 * This world's advertisements and notifications parodies famous songs at the time.
 * Sweet Zombie O' Mine is a reference to Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns N' Roses.
 * Zombie's Never Gonna Give You Up is a reference to Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley, famous for the Rickrolling meme.
 * Wake Zombie Up Before You Go-Go is a reference to Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham!.
 * Sweet Dreams (Are made of Zombie.) is a reference to Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics.
 * It is the first world since Far Future with more than five obtainable plants.
 * Neon Mixtape Tour and Dark Ages are the only worlds to be released in parts to not have two plants be obtained after Part 1.
 * Neon Mixtape Tour and Far Future are the only worlds that allow two instant use plants to be obtained.
 * Neon Mixtape Tour, Lost City, Jurassic Marsh, and Big Wave Beach are currently the only worlds with 32 levels.
 * According to the game credits of the 3.9 update, Neon Mixtape Tour's initial name was Mondo Mixtape Tour, with "mondo" meaning "big" or "major."
 * Neon Mixtape Tour is probably a reference to the disco world in Plants vs. Zombies: Timepocalypse, but that world takes place in the '70s.
 * Neon Mixtape Tour and Jurassic Marsh are the only worlds where Day 8 is a normal level.
 * Neon Mixtape Tour is the only world to have extra detail in the background of the level selection screen. In this case, it is a neon floor and digital mountains.
 * In the Travel Log, the Greatest Hits Endless Zone is referred to as 80's Danger Room, which is its internal name (eighties_dangerroom).
 * Before the 5.3.1 version, it was the ninth world on the world map order.
 * There is a large open space that continues on further than the Zomboss podium. This exists in most worlds but Neon Mixtape Tour's continues the longest. This is because there is going to be additional levels in a future update. They have not been confirmed yet however and nothing is in the game's code yet.
 * MC Zom-B does not appear in the preview image.
 * It is the last world in the game to have a Piñata Party set in this world. Its first party was a Lawn of Doom party in October 2016.
 * It is also the only world not to have a Piňata Party during the Beghouled Beyond event.