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Not to be confused with Brian.
Brain

The brain

In the Plants vs. Zombies series, brains are the favorite food of the zombies and the incentive for zombies attacking the player. In Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, Plants vs. Zombies Heroes, and Versus Mode, they are the zombie equivalent of sun.

History[]

Plants vs. Zombies[]

In Plants vs. Zombies, the zombies attempt to invade the player's house to eat their brains.

Plants vs Zombies Brains by NovaZX1

Brains on the credits song

In parts of the game, some zombies can be seen showing brains on pieces of their clothing or equipment. For example, the Zombie Bobsled Team has a brain picture on the front of their bobsled and the words "Brains or Bust" written on the side. The Dolphin Rider Zombie's Speedo-type outfit has a picture of a brain on it, the Snorkel Zombie has a shirt with the legend "I ❤ Brains," and the Flag Zombie carries a red flag with a picture of a brain on it. One of the Chinese zombies in the bottom of the achievement page has a takeout box with a picture of brains on the side.

Additionally, a message over the game area that is in green goo saying "THE ZOMBIES ATE YOUR BRAINS!" will appear along with a voice screaming "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" if the zombies get inside the player's house.

It is still possible to pause the game during the game over cutscene and before the "GAME OVER" (or "GAME OVER (iOS/Android)/SURVIVAL (any of the levels in PC, DS, and console versions of the game): You survived for {number of flags completed} flag(s) before dying a GRUESOME ZOMBIE DEATH!!!" in Survival Mode) dialog box is shown, but it does not stop or interrupt the losing sequence nor continue the level as the loss of a level is triggered if a zombie enters the house or goes down the chimney where the game over music plays and camera focuses into the house or chimney.

As a result, even when pausing the game, the player will inevitably face the consequence or effect of a zombie entering the house or going down the chimney.

Game modes[]

Brains appear in the mini-game Zombiquarium, where they are used to feed Snorkel Zombies so they do not die in order to generate 1000 sun to win the level. They cost 5 sun each, and up to three can be on the screen at one time.

The I, Zombie levels have the player placing zombies who must eat the brains at the end of every lane to pass the level. Each brain is usually worth one silver coin ($10), but can sometimes give a gold coin ($50), and can rarely give a diamond. The last remaining brain gives a money bag.

The brains are given a vital role in the PS3, Xbox Live Arcade and Nintendo DS versions in Versus Mode as the zombies' equivalent of sun. They are used to place zombies in a similar manner to placing plants in order to attack the opponent's lawn and try to eat their brains. Much like sun, brains will fall from the sky anywhere in the three lanes controlled by the player who is playing as zombies and will be produced from Zombie Gravestones at the same rate that Sunflowers produce sun.

Plants vs. Zombies Adventures (Archived content)[]

Brainball[]

In Plants vs. Zombies Adventures, brains served a major purpose in Brainball. They were used as the scoring system. Players had to hide brains in their buildings and get brains from other people's buildings. To do that, they have to send zombies and win the attack. Brains do not count for the score if they are not stored in buildings. If the player attacks another player's town and gets brains, then the brains will automatically be placed in the Player's Town.

Plants vs. Zombies 2[]

Brains do not have any usage in Plants vs. Zombies 2, unlike its predecessor. Like other games, when the zombies enter the player's house, a message says "THE ZOMBIES ATE YOUR BRAINS!," and an image of a brain on a silver plate with a bite taken out of it is shown. If the player taps on the brain, it will squiggle around and make a squishy sound. The player will hear the same voice screaming "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" and the game over music of a respective world will be played along with the scream before the game over screen becomes silent. The image of a brain on a plate, options to return to map, Zen Garden, and try the level again will then appear. Game over music from some worlds have their tail end playing after the scream and the options to return to map, Zen Garden, and try the level again appear where it is possible for the player to skip those music even before they end or are finished playing by exiting the game over screen through returning to map, going to Zen Garden, or trying the level again. The same brain also appears at the bottom of the credits. A brain also appears on one of Jester Zombie's plates on his costume during the Thanksgiving Food Fight Piñata Parties and Birthdayz Piñata Parties.

Aside from letting the zombies reach the house, it can also appear on some losing screens, such as:

  • Failing any objectives since 1.7 update
    • Exceptions are:
      • Levels with Dave's mold colonies after the objective description change (trying to plant into them will make the message "You can't plant on mold colonies" appear).
      • "Don't lose any lawn mowers " objective after its removal from the game
      • "Never have more than X plants" objective (certain circumstances. This objective is still able to be failed on certain ways, such as Witch Hazel producing Puff-shrooms, Fume-shrooms or Toadstools until the plant limit is exceeded)
  • Finishing a Piñata Party or Cannons Away level without reaching the target score
  • Letting the zombies eat, destroy, or activate an endangered plant
  • Planting on a flame trap tile or letting a zombie step into it as long as it is in the same lane as the endangered plant
  • Letting an endangered Puff-shroom disappear in Dark Ages - Night 12
  • Surrendering in a Penny's Pursuit level

Brains are also the item that is thrown by Cardio Zombies in order to buff other zombies on the lawn in Arena.

Brains in PvZ2 are purple instead of pink.

Plants vs. Zombies 3[]

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare[]

Unlike all previous games, in Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, the objective of the zombies are not eating the player's brain. Brains only appear on the zombie side of Boss Mode. It serves a similar purpose as sun, as in Zomboss Boss Mode brains drop from the sky and need to be collected in order to build healing, spotting, and reviving stations, or make cone bombardments to support the team. Each falling brain collected worth 25 brains.

Plants vs. Zombies Heroes[]

Unlike the other games in the series, in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes, zombie heroes use brains to play cards when in a match, similarly to how brains are used to place zombies in Versus Mode or to place stations in Boss Mode. When a match starts, the zombie hero starts with one brain, and this total normally increases by one after each turn. There are several cards that give or remove the number of brains the zombie hero has.

  • Brain Vendor gives the zombie hero three brains upon being played.
  • Gentleman Zombie gives the zombie hero two brains when it is the zombie hero's turn to play tricks.
  • Medulla Nebula gives the zombie hero two brains when the zombie hero plays a zombie there.
  • Mustache Waxer gives the zombie hero one brain when another mustache card is played.
  • Cryo-Brain increases the number of brains, obtaining in the beginning of each turn, by one.
  • Brainana removes all the remaining brains the zombie hero has when played. So far this is the only way that a plant can affect the brain count of zombies.

Brain costs[]

Plants vs. Zombies[]

Zombies Brain cost
Zombie Gravestone 50
Zombie 25 or 50 (depends on version)
Flag Zombie 300
Conehead Zombie 75
Pole Vaulting Zombie 100
Buckethead Zombie 100
Newspaper Zombie 50
Screen Door Zombie 100
Football Zombie 150
Dancing Zombie 150
Zomboni 175
Jack-in-the-Box Zombie 100
Digger Zombie 150
Pogo Zombie 225
Bungee Zombie 125
Ladder Zombie 150
Catapult Zombie 200
Gargantuar 250
Trash Can Zombie 50

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare[]

Boss Mode abilities Brain cost
Superb Zomboss Radar 75
Reviving Brainz BBQ 250
Zomboss Healing Station 100
Cone Strike 250

Audio[]

The screaming sound that can be heard when the player loses (except if losing Zombiquarium, Last Stand (mini-game and puzzle versions), I, Zombie levels, I, Zombie Endless, Vasebreaker Endless, and Seeing Stars (iOS and Android versions)).

Gallery[]

Plants vs. Zombies Wiki has a gallery for Brain.
Brain by BP
Visit this page to see it.
Brain by BP

Trivia[]

General[]

  • When the player lets any zombies that do not eat plants (i.e. Zomboni, Catapult Zombie, Gargantuar) reach your house, the game still displays "THE ZOMBIES ATE YOUR BRAINS!" and the eating sound (for the first game) is still played despite not being eaten but instead crushed by the zombies.
    • It may be possible for the Zomboni and Catapult Zombie to get off their vehicle to eat the player's brains as shown that repeated biting sounds is still heard when they enter the player's house.
    • If the Gargantuar enters the house with his Imp, however, it is possible for his Imp to eat the player's brains while if reaching the house without his Imp, he may drop his telephone pole/wildlife crossing sign/zombie to let inside and eat the brains.

Specific to Plants vs. Zombies[]

  • The green goo/blood on the game over screen could be one of the main reasons why Plants vs. Zombies is rated E10+ by the ESRB.
  • In Zombiquarium, one brain costs five sun. This is odd because, in Versus Mode, one gives five times the amount of power one costs. Of course, these are in two completely unrelated game modes and maybe a brain costs 5 sun and it gives 25 sun.
    • The mechanic of the mini-game mentioned above is a reference to Insaniquarium, another PopCap game, in which one pellet/fish food also costs five dollars.
  • Several zombies use pictures of brains on items they use or carry, like the Zombie Bobsled Team, which has a brain on their bobsled, or the brain on the Flag Zombie's flag.
  • The clouds in the HD version of Plants vs. Zombies iPad in the Roof levels are shaped like brains.
    • There are also brain clouds during the song Stop Zombie Mouth! in the part where an Imp flies with a tube of toothpaste, leaving a trail of toothpaste.

Specific to Plants vs. Zombies 2[]

  • If the player touches the picture of the brain after losing, it will make a "squish" sound and squish by tapping it.
  • Despite the fact that the zombies are trying to eat the player's brain, Jester Zombies in Food Fight parties actually hold a pan with a brain (as part of their costume).
    • The brain could just be a fake since the zombies, including the Jester Zombie holding the brain, don't actually eat it and are only focused on the player's brain.
  • The brain thrown by Cardio Zombie is different than the one which appears in the losing screen and the credit screen.

Specific to Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare[]

  • This is the first game in the series where the zombies do not try to eat the player's brains.
    • However, on Team Vanquish Mode, when the plants reach 40 vanquishes, it is possible for Dr. Zomboss to say: "The Plants only need 10! Don't you want brains?"
      • This could mean that Dr. Zomboss has a supply of brains he is using to motivate the zombies to win.
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