Dark Ages

Dark Ages is the fifth world in Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time. It is the first (and currently only) world in Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time to be in a night time setting. The mushrooms make their debut here.

As it namesake says, Dark Ages takes during the tenth century where culture and economy slowly deteriorates mankind that follows the decline of the Roman Empire. Also, the use of Black Magic like Necromancy became also the center of usage for evil purposes.

Like in Ancient Egypt, tombstones appear in Dark Ages. However, they can now occasionally spawn by themselves and summon zombies through an ambush called "Necromancy!". Certain tombstones marked with a sun or Plant Food icon reward players with sun (100 sun) and Plant Food when destroyed. Sun does not fall from the sky in Dark Ages as it has the exclusive night time setting. If a grave spawns where there is a plant, that plant and all plants in front or behind it will move forward one column. Sunflowers and Twin Sunflowers do not fall asleep in these levels, but it is still recommended to use Sun-shrooms due to their lower cost.

Additionally, in the Chinese version, it has more new plants and zombies.

Game description
''Bring out your undead to the year 948! Harvest mushrooms in the dark of knight and get medieval on zombies from the days of yore!''

Order of events
The player uses a World Key, giving them access to the Dark Ages, when the player defeats Night 9's wave, a medieval scroll is shown, saying "By decree of Lord Zomboss: Please leave your brain on your stoop". On the tenth night, Dr. Zomboss writes a note before the huge wave attacks. The wave with the Dark Ages Gargantuar is defeated, leaving a World Key behind. On the twentieth night, Zomboss reveals that Plant Food is made out of zombies before attacking the player in his Zombot Dark Dragon, when the Zombot is destroyed, Penny reveals that Plant Food contains no zombies or zombie byproducts, Zomboss then retreats.

Levels
There is a total of 19 levels and 1 boss battle to play as well as introducing five new plants (four were returned) and eleven new zombies.

Main levels

 * * It is boosted even if the player does not have it boosted.

Goals for Success
These levels' layouts are same as their original ones. Two to three missions objectives are added. The player needs to complete all the missions however, failure to do so will force the player to restart the level. Meeting all the criteria in a level will award the player either a costume, new plant, or money and will proceed to the next level.

Night 6 Night 8 Night 9 Night 10 Night 12 Night 14 Night 15 Night 17 Night 18 Night 19
 * Plan your defense and defeat the zombies.
 * Survive the zombie attack with the given plants.
 * Survive while evil potions boost zombies.
 * Survive a massive attack in the Dark Ages.
 * Survive without any lawn mowers.
 * Survive and keep the Puff-shrooms alive.
 * Produce at least 5000 sun. (2000 sun pre 2.7 update)
 * Plan your defense and defeat the zombies.
 * Survive while evil potions boost zombies.
 * Survive the zombie attack with the given plants.
 * Survive and protect the endangered plants.

Dark Alchemy
Dark Alchemy is Dark Ages's exclusive Brain Buster. These levels layouts are exactly the same as the normal levels, but potions will rise from the ground over time and boost zombies if they're stepped on. The potions will bring different effects to the zombies such as increasing their health and speed. While they are being vested by speed and strength boost, the zombies also grow big.

Special Delivery
Special Delivery is an exclusive Brain Buster without any criterion to full fill in order to achieve victory. Much like the Gargantuar battles, the player is given plants via conveyor-belt and must survive a set of waves.

Locked and Loaded
Locked and Loaded makes the player restricted to the plants that they will use. They are only required to use the plants given to them in order to win the battle. Even though the plant is locked yet, they can get a tendency to use that plant (unless it is unlocked already). This will serve as a demo for that plant if ever that manages to happen. The player must win only using the given plants to them. Locked and Loaded serves as a reference for a certain weapon in real life, where once it is armed, it should not be disarmed any more.

Last Stand
The player must survive a flag in order to accomplish the level. In this Brain Buster, the player is given an extreme amount of sun to make use of and two or four Plant Foods at their disposal because there will be no glowing zombies and falling suns to replenish sun for plant production to aid the player from a victory. Sunflower, Sun-shroom, Sun Bean and Twin Sunflower are not allowed in this brain buster, but other than these four, there are other plants as well that are not allowed. Followed by that, the player will then deal with an extreme number of zombies charging at their lawn. If the player is very creative enough to formulate his own plan, he can win without the aid of Plant Food.

Save Our Seeds
In this Brain Buster, the player is forced to survive the wave of zombies and protect the endangered Puff-shrooms and Magnet-shrooms. Otherwise, they will fail the level.

Arthur's Challenge
Arthur's Challenge is Dark Ages' Endless Zone. Grave Buster is exclusive to this and Pyramid of Doom. This Endless Zone is very difficult as Winter Melons and other strong plants will be useless against Gargantuars because of Jester Zombies. The former combined with Zombie Kings, Knight Zombies and Wizard Zombies make this Endless Zone hard.

Zombot Dark Dragon
Zombot Dark Dragon is the boss of Dark Ages and is encountered at the final level. It can shoot fireballs that can hatch Imp Dragon Zombies and those fireballs can also damage plants and zombies. They also create sorched tiles that cannot be planted on. Fortunately, they only last for a few seconds.

Walkthrough

 * See Dark Ages/Walkthrough.

Trivia

 * All Dark Ages plants are in the preview, plus Pea-nut which a premium plant.
 * While Pea-nut is not unlocked in the world, as it is a premium plant, it is featured in several levels with pre-selected plants.
 * This, Big Wave Beach, and Frostbite Caves are the only worlds to be released in two parts.
 * Dark Ages, Pirate Seas and Big Wave Beach are currently the only worlds that contain zombies that do not move, which are Zombie King, Imp Cannon and Fisherman Zombie.
 * It is the only night-time world in Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time at the moment.
 * It is the only area in the whole series that introduces two sun-producing plants.
 * This, Player's House, Big Wave Beach, and Frostbite Caves are currently the only areas that have no upgrades.
 * Sun Bean is the only non-mushroom plant obtainable in this world which is also the only non-returning plant in this world.
 * It is also the only plant from Dark Ages without a hyphen.
 * The Necromancy ambush is a reference to the magic of communicating with the dead, coming from the Greek words nekros meaning "dead body" and manteia meaning "prophecy".
 * Dark Alchemy refers to how alchemy was used for evil purposes.
 * On the little river in front of the zombies' castle, there is an array of Lily Pads.
 * Left to the zombies' castle, there is a sword that's stuck in a rock, an Excalibur (a sword from medieval times that, as the legend says, has mystic powers and would proclaim the king of Albion who pulls the sword out of the rock) a reference to Arthur's Challenge.
 * In the front of Dark Ages Player's House, there is a present day mailbox.
 * The drawbridge on the castle is opening into nothing.
 * It is the second world to have a background that is always animated, the first being Pirate Seas.
 * The Player's House in this world has a weather vane with a Peashooter's head.
 * This music main theme is similar to Moongrains and Zen Garden, the Brainiac Maniac (Demonstration Mini-Game) and Ultimate Battle has slight touch to Ancient Egypt and Pirate Seas with Medieval-styled drumbeats and effects remix along with Tambourines and Epic Soundfont.
 * Dark Ages Zombie growls have Ancient Egypt and Pirate Seas mashed up growls.
 * Like Weapon Stands from Kung-Fu World, tombstones grow from the ground at points, even on squares occupied by plants. If this happens, the plant will be tossed away or forward one square but unlike the Weapon Stands, they cannot make the plants fly off-screen upon doing so. Sometimes, When the tombstones rise, the plants will disappear.
 * Before Part 2 was released, the Imps on the logs over Night 11 seemed to be loafing, slacking, and playing around. One of them is even lunching a sandwich with brains. The other just holds a wrench.
 * The same Imps appeared over Big Wave Beach - Day 17 and Frostbite Caves - Day 17 before Part 2 was released for each world.
 * The sky on the world map is a purple color compared to the faded blue of daytime maps. However, a glitch in the update makes the map sky turn blue when loading up the game. To fix this, just leave and come back.
 * It is the shortest world in the game with only 20 levels, unless counting Player's House or Big Wave Beach and Frostbite Caves before their Part 2's were released. This is also the second world that gives a lesser amount of plants with the first one which is the Player's House which gives four plants while this gives five.
 * Penny states that a plague recently swept the area, a reference to the black plague. The Wizard Zombie also alludes the plague, since its legs are bandaged.
 * After Dark Ages - Night 10, the map changes to a castle design, but the lawn does not.
 * A similar thing occurs in Big Wave Beach.
 * It is the first world in the international version of the game to introduce two new Imp variations: the Imp Monk Zombie and Imp Dragon Zombie. However, if counting the Announcer Imp, that makes three variations.
 * Frostbite Caves also introduces two Imp variations, the Yeti Imp and the Dodo Rider Zombie. However, Dodo Rider Zombie's Imp does not ever appear separately, so it doesn't entirely count.
 * The player can see a part of stonewall in its map before Night 10.
 * There is a moon on the top of the castle with a face maybe referencing Zeldas' Majoras Mask Moon. However, in the world selection, there is no moon.
 * The torch near the castle is burning after the 2.7.1 update.
 * In the preview screen, the player can see the Zombot Dark Dragon coming out of the castle door. This is the only time when a player can see an extended part of its body that is not usually visible during the fight.
 * This is the only world whose icon in the world selection screen does not feature a zombie-themed face.
 * According to the beta screenshots, Dark Ages's lawn was planned to be colored purple and be much brighter.