Arizona Sunshine

Arizona Sunshine is a frenetic, VR powered, zombie blasting romp that stands as the next must-have title for the PSVR Aim Controller.

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"Arizona Sunshine" is a first-person shooter game set in a post-apocalyptic southwestern America overrun by zombies. Players must navigate through various environments, scavenging for weapons and supplies while fighting off hordes of the undead. The game features both single-player and multiplayer modes, allowing for co-op gameplay with up to three other players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 5,038 reviews

story315 positive mentions

stability173 negative mentions

story
922 mentions
34 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The story in "Arizona Sunshine" is generally described as simple and straightforward, revolving around a lone survivor navigating a zombie apocalypse while searching for other humans. While some players appreciate the humor and engaging voice acting of the protagonist, many note that the narrative is short, often taking only 3-5 hours to complete, and lacks depth or complexity. Overall, the game is seen as more focused on action and gameplay than on delivering a rich story experience, making it enjoyable primarily for those looking for a fun zombie shooter rather than a deep narrative.
- “The story is engaging and the voice acting is superb.”
- “The story is fun but can be challenging in some parts if you're playing alone.”
- “This is one of my favorite VR games of all time, I highly recommend this game to anyone looking for the perfect combination of horror, first-person shooter, story, and above all, comedy.”
- “The story is basically just a dude with one-liners trying to escape from the zombie horde-ridden Arizona landscape.”
- “The storyline was pretty basic, and the gameplay was underwhelming.”
- “The story is incredibly short and half-baked at best, gameplay is clunky, animations are broken, it's the same enemy over and over save for a few wearing some armor, weapon variety is artificial.”
gameplay
700 mentions
38 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Arizona Sunshine" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its dated mechanics and repetitive nature. While the shooting mechanics and gunplay are generally praised for being fun and intuitive, issues such as clunky controls, simplistic reloading, and a lack of enemy variety detract from the overall experience. Despite its shortcomings, the game is still considered enjoyable, especially in co-op mode, but many recommend waiting for a sale due to its short campaign and limited content.
- “Immersive VR gameplay: Arizona Sunshine fully leverages the power of virtual reality, plunging players into the heart of a post-apocalyptic southwestern America overrun by zombies.”
- “The gameplay is great, controls are intuitive, and the combat is fun and slightly challenging.”
- “Great gameplay, you feel badass when taking zombies down with accuracy.”
- “No VR game has left me more frustrated than this; the controls are more confusing than any other VR game ever, the visuals are complete garbage, and the gameplay is either boring or impossible. My character just won't shut up, always saying something edgy like, 'you're not cool, bro.' Literal garbage, don't waste your money on this.”
- “The reload mechanic makes it unplayable, which is baffling since the first game had it right. The guns handled poorly, the graphics were mediocre at best, and the gameplay was more or less the same every level.”
- “The gameplay is primitive and stale, with interactivity being horribly limited. The mechanics are subpar, relying on a teleportation system that feels outdated and clunky.”
graphics
557 mentions
52 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they feel outdated and lack the polish expected from modern titles. While some appreciate the decent visuals and immersive environments, others criticize the low resolution, poor animations, and overall dated appearance, often comparing them unfavorably to newer VR games. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the graphics may not be cutting-edge, they can still provide an enjoyable experience if players adjust their expectations accordingly.
- “For the age of the game, the graphics are really detailed.”
- “The graphics are great, the movement is flawless, and the game is simply so fun to play!”
- “The graphics are beautiful, the gameplay is solid and varied, and the pacing is perfect.”
- “At the moment in 2023, the graphics are horrible, the controls very dated, your hands have no collision with almost anything, the level design is awful. Maybe back in 2016 this was a decent game, but at this point, it simply aged horribly in every regard.”
- “The graphics are honestly pretty bad, looking like a first-year Xbox 360 game. The cars you have to search look downright awful.”
- “The graphics are dated, the world itself is sub-par and lackluster.”
humor
203 mentions
98 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a prominent aspect, with many players enjoying the witty and often sardonic commentary from the protagonist, who frequently lightens the mood with funny quips and self-referential jokes. While some found the humor to be hit-or-miss, with occasional annoyance from repetitive lines, the overall consensus is that the comedic elements enhance the gameplay experience, especially in co-op mode where shared laughter adds to the fun. The blend of dark humor and light-hearted banter amidst the zombie apocalypse setting has been well-received, making it a memorable part of the game.
- “The commentary from the character is hilarious.”
- “The protagonist talks to himself and the outcome is that his lonely ramblings are quite humorous and he calls every zombie 'Freddy'!”
- “The main character's dialogue is funny and at times downright sad.”
- “Makes unfunny comments constantly and ruins any immersion.”
- “It's just not funny and the dialogue is just grating when it happens.”
- “The dialogue is pretty unfunny and tryhard as well.”
stability
183 mentions
4 % positive mentions
1 % neutral mentions
95 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous users reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. Many players describe it as "buggy" and "unplayable" at times, particularly in multiplayer modes, while others note minor glitches that still detract from the overall experience. Despite some enjoyable elements, the overwhelming consensus is that the game's technical issues make it frustrating and not worth its price.
- “The graphics have aged well and it runs great on my system with an i7-8700k and GTX 1080, using an Oculus Quest via ALVR.”
- “10/10 runs great on the Rift S.”
- “Graphically very nice looking and in my short first playtime no glitches or bugs so far.”
- “The multiplayer is so buggy and broken, it may as well not exist.”
- “It's a pretty fun game when it works, but the lack of proper Oculus support means having to run it through SteamVR, which makes it quite buggy for me on my Oculus.”
- “This game is currently a buggy mess.”
atmosphere
92 mentions
67 % positive mentions
29 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its immersive and engaging qualities, effectively capturing a post-apocalyptic vibe with well-designed environments and soundscapes. Players appreciate the tension created by dark settings and the balance of humor amidst the horror elements, although some note inconsistencies in execution. Overall, the atmosphere significantly enhances the gameplay experience, making it a standout feature of the title.
- “Great zombie VR game, with amazing atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is great, the setting is awesome.”
- “Arizona Sunshine creates an atmosphere of isolation and dark humor and, for the first time, I've spent more than 10 dollars on a VR title, and feel like I got my money's worth.”
- “The atmosphere is also disconnected from the gameplay.”
- “Awkward controls, uninspiring atmosphere, and wonky shooting.”
- “Sorry, there is no atmosphere with that.”
optimization
90 mentions
23 % positive mentions
48 % neutral mentions
29 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering, lag, and crashes, even on high-end hardware. While some users experienced smooth gameplay, particularly with specific setups, the overall consensus indicates that the game suffers from poor optimization, especially during intense action sequences. Many reviewers suggest that the game could benefit from further optimization efforts to improve stability and performance across a wider range of systems.
- “Simple fun, well optimized VR game.”
- “Beautiful, perfectly optimized VR goodness.”
- “Overall performance on my gaming laptop with a GTX 2060 was good.”
- “The game's performance tanked as soon as I approached the horde.”
- “Your guns disappear, zombies stutter lag all over the place so it's hard to hit them, performance is really bad so either you get low FPS or tiny resolution making some ironsights on guns impossible to use, grabbing things is atrocious and slow.”
- “Optimization issues plague the game and often times when there is frantic action going on the game will load without pausing gameplay - something that has killed many of my record horde attempts.”
replayability
86 mentions
28 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed, with many players noting that while the campaign is relatively short (around 3-5 hours), the inclusion of multiplayer modes and a horde mode significantly enhances replay value for some. However, others feel that the lack of a compelling story and limited content leads to low replayability, especially in single-player mode. While some players find enjoyment in the competitive aspects and varied gameplay, many agree that it doesn't match the replayability of other VR titles.
- “This game is awesome; the story mode is great and replayable, and active updates keep it fresh!”
- “The campaign mode was a lot of fun, but the horde mode is what makes the game replayable.”
- “Great action and superb (and really fun) voice acting have made this 3-4 hour campaign almost infinitely replayable for me.”
- “Replayability is quite low for me since there isn't much of a story, but a great introduction to the VR genre for those who like shooting things and a little bit of adrenaline.”
- “There's no replayability because the horde mode is worse than horde modes in other VR games because this is a 2016 VR game and games have had 7 years to improve.”
- “I don't think so... it's a great game but pretty short, and there is no real replay value.”
music
41 mentions
32 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, likening it to soundtracks from titles like "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided" and "The Last of Us." However, others criticize the lack of music during gameplay, which detracts from the overall experience, and note issues with volume levels in co-op mode. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated by many, its implementation and integration into gameplay have left some players wanting more.
- “It's a very entertaining zombie apocalypse game with great quality, great milieu, amazing soundtrack, and the player's voice is also great.”
- “The music helped set the mood without being intrusive.”
- “The soundtrack brings back that 'The Last of Us' feel and the hordes will have you in a joyful panic.”
- “The main character dialogue is annoying to the point I wanted to turn off in-game sounds, put on some music, and speed-run the game any%.”
- “No music when playing does not build any atmosphere.”
- “To make things worse, once all those zombies were killed, the game did not trigger to continue for several minutes, leaving me confused and wondering aimlessly about the area trying to progress while battle music played with no enemies in sight.”
emotional
24 mentions
92 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
Players have expressed a range of emotional experiences while engaging with the game, from feeling physically sick due to its VR mechanics to experiencing deep emotional investment in the storyline and character struggles. While some found the voice acting and humor lacking, others highlighted moments of genuine emotional resonance, particularly during pivotal narrative shifts that elicited strong reactions, including tears and laughter. Overall, the game appears to evoke a mix of frustration and emotional depth, making it a unique experience in the VR landscape.
- “What saves it all is the emotional tone shifting when he's near the end of the military base and begins to lose hope.”
- “Really enjoyed his emotional struggles, the ups and downs and the finale.”
- “It's impossible to describe the feeling of emotional investment you get in this game; by the ending, I was lying on the floor crying/laughing (from what, I won't spoil) even as the credits rolled...”
- “The story is extremely short (90 minutes) and boring, full of fighting the same enemy over and over.”
- “I don't want to touch that boring story mode and just play it for being drunk and proving that I still have a 70% accuracy with a laser pointer.”
grinding
19 mentions
5 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
53 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and time-consuming, often requiring repetitive actions that can lead to frustration and boredom. Many reviews highlight poor controls and slow mechanics that exacerbate the grinding experience, making it feel like a chore rather than an engaging part of gameplay. While some enjoy certain modes, the consensus is that the grinding becomes predictable and tiresome over time.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Simply picking up an object is tedious; you frequently have to repeatedly do the same action several times, squeezing as hard as you can before it registers the grips and picks up the item.”
- “Hugely boring grinding, exacerbated by terrible and shaky controls, slow reloads, until you're eventually zerged to death and end up rage quitting.”
- “Lastly, it got tedious as it went on... ironically, the character began talking about how tedious it was becoming.”
monetization
11 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy for the game has drawn significant criticism, with many players labeling it a cash grab due to its high price point of $40, which they feel is unjustified for the content offered. Additionally, concerns have been raised about the game's reliance on advertising for Intel's latest processors, effectively locking out core features for users with older hardware, further fueling perceptions of greedy business practices. Overall, players believe the game should be priced much lower, reflecting its early access feel and the disconnect between promotional materials and actual gameplay.
- “You had a positive review, but after seeing the cash grab that is the Arizsun remake that you're trying to sell off at full game price, it's outstandingly greedy.”
- “So... yeah, to me at least, at $40 this game feels like a cash grab or early access game that should be charging $10-15, $20 max.”
- “Shady business practices are currently being employed by Intel and Vertigo Games on this game, by locking out a selection of core content for users who are not using recent generations of Intel's processor line, for the sole purpose of advertising Intel's newer, more expensive product lines.”
character development
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
-100 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally viewed as lacking, with many players noting a minimal connection to the protagonist despite the enjoyable gameplay. While the fun factor is high, reviewers feel that the experience could be significantly enhanced with more meaningful story and character development.
- “The character development is engaging and adds depth to the gameplay experience.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making each decision feel impactful.”
- “The growth of the characters is well-crafted, enhancing the overall narrative.”
- “Even though there is a lack of character development, I still felt a bit of a connection to this average Joe by the end of the main campaign.”
- “Fun, but could improve with more meaningful story and character development, and fine-tuning the aiming mechanics.”
- “While the game is short and lacks story and character development, it's extremely fun and engaging.”