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Arizona Sunshine

Arizona Sunshine is a short game that leaves you wanting oh so much more. Worth the ticket to ride, and OH what a ride.
Arizona Sunshine Game Cover
75%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
stability, optimization
79% User Score Based on 10,076 reviews
Critic Score 66%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

PCPlayStation VROculus QuestOculus RiftCloudPlaystation 4Virtual RealityNVIDIA GeForce NOWWindowsPlayStation
Arizona Sunshine Game Cover

About

Arizona Sunshine is a single player and multiplayer survival shooter game with a horror theme. It was developed by Vertigo Games and was released on December 6, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"Arizona Sunshine" is a VR-exclusive first-person shooter set in a post-apocalyptic southwestern America overrun by zombies. You can survive solo or in co-op multiplayer, navigating through hordes of zombies and searching for other survivors. The game features real-life movements for handling weapons and exploring the environment, providing an immersive and thrilling experience in the zombie apocalypse.

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79%
Audience ScoreBased on 10,076 reviews
story630 positive mentions
stability346 negative mentions

  • story
    1,844 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in "Arizona Sunshine" is generally described as simple and straightforward, focusing on a lone survivor navigating a zombie apocalypse with a mix of humor and action. While some players appreciate the engaging voice acting and the lighthearted narrative, many criticize the story for being short, linear, and lacking depth, often completing it in around 3 to 5 hours. Overall, the game is seen as more of a fun shooter experience rather than a deeply immersive story-driven title, with replayability primarily stemming from its co-op and horde modes rather than the narrative itself.

    • “Has a really good story line that's fun to play.”
    • “The story is great, and I was grateful when I found out there was multiplayer on the game too, so you can rekill the undead with your friends!”
    • “The story is simple, short, funny, and at times intense.”
    • “The story is kinda weak in this one, but the gameplay is good.”
    • “The 'story' is nonexistent aside from a protagonist that makes you aim their gun at yourself just so you can escape his nonstop quirky quipping lines.”
    • “The story feels rushed and short; it cost way too much for what is offered.”
  • gameplay
    1,401 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Arizona Sunshine" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its dated mechanics and repetitive nature. While some appreciate the fun shooting mechanics and immersive VR experience, others criticize the clunky controls, simplistic reload system, and lack of variety in gameplay elements, leading to a sense of monotony. Overall, it is seen as a decent entry point for VR shooters, 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 in VR are intuitive and the combat is fun and slightly challenging.”
    • “Great fun, some of the best shooting mechanics in VR at this present time.”
    • “No VR game has left me more frustrated than this swill. The controls are more confusing than any other VR game ever, the visuals are complete garbage, the gameplay is so boring or impossible, and my character just won't shut up. He's always saying something so edgy like, 'You're not cool, bro.' Literal garbage. Don't waste your money on this; if you want to play an actually good VR zombie game, then play The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners.”
    • “The initial excitement gives way to a sense of monotony after about 30 minutes of gameplay. The formulaic approach to encounters and the repetitive nature of the gameplay mechanics result in an experience that, unfortunately, doesn't evolve beyond its initial appeal.”
    • “The gameplay is linear and repetitive. The game advertises 25 weapons, but like 18 of them are pistols with nearly indistinguishable skins and mechanics.”
  • graphics
    1,114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they feel dated and lack the polish expected from modern VR titles. While some appreciate the decent lighting and overall aesthetic, others criticize the visuals as being subpar, reminiscent of older console games, and plagued by issues like aliasing and low-resolution textures. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the graphics may not be groundbreaking, they can still provide an enjoyable experience, especially when paired with engaging gameplay.

    • “This VR game is well made for its age, decent graphics and interaction, and challenging combat; it works well with my HP Reverb G2.”
    • “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!”
    • “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 atm it simply aged horribly in every regard, at least there are no cheap jumpscares.”
    • “This has got to be one of the worst games I've played so far, it's so out of date the graphics look 20+ years old, the physics are just bad, they're old and have never been updated, and getting stuck in a rock, or in a wall, should not require you to restart the level, this happens all the time.”
    • “The graphics are honestly pretty bad, looking like a first-year Xbox 360 game, the cars you have to search look downright awful.”
  • humor
    406 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is a significant highlight, with many players enjoying the protagonist's witty and often sardonic commentary, which adds a light-hearted touch to the otherwise intense zombie survival experience. While some found the humor to be repetitive or annoying over time, the overall consensus is that the comedic elements, including quirky dialogue and funny interactions, enhance the gameplay, especially in cooperative modes. However, there are mixed opinions on the effectiveness of the humor, with some players feeling it detracts from immersion or is poorly executed at times.

    • “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
    366 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous users reporting it as "extremely buggy" and "unplayable" at times. Common issues include frequent crashes, glitches in weapon handling, and problems with multiplayer functionality, leading many to recommend avoiding the game or waiting for significant updates. While some players find enjoyment despite the bugs, the overall consensus is that the game's technical problems severely detract from the experience.

    • “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.”
    • “Graphically very nice looking and in my short first playtime, no glitches or bugs so far.”
    • “No glitches, smooth play!”
    • “The fact that when played co-op it's a buggy mess; I wouldn't even recommend playing this game if it was free.”
    • “Extremely buggy and got to a point where it wasn't playable.”
    • “This game is currently a buggy mess.”
  • atmosphere
    184 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its immersive and engaging qualities, effectively capturing a post-apocalyptic vibe with well-executed sound design and environmental details. Players appreciate the tension created by dark settings, particularly in areas like mines, although some find the reliance on flashlights frustrating. Overall, the combination of humor, voice acting, and atmospheric elements contributes to a compelling experience, making it a standout in the VR zombie shooter genre.

    • “Great zombie VR game, with amazing atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere, the drama, the gunplay - all top notch.”
    • “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.”
    • “No music when playing does not build any atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere is also disconnected from the gameplay.”
    • “Awkward controls, uninspiring atmosphere, and wonky shooting.”
  • optimization
    180 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    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 is poorly optimized, especially in later levels and during intense action sequences. Many reviewers suggest that further optimizations are needed to improve stability and performance across various systems.

    • “Simple fun, well optimized VR game.”
    • “I will be checking out the DLC, especially now that optimizations have made this title run far smoother on my machine than I remember it.”
    • “Beautiful, perfectly optimized VR goodness.”
    • “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
    172 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed, with some players finding it low due to a short campaign and limited story, while others appreciate the horde mode and multiplayer options that enhance replay value. Many reviews highlight that while the single-player experience may lack depth, cooperative play and competitive modes provide enough content for repeated enjoyment. However, several users caution against expecting extensive replayability, suggesting it may not satisfy those seeking a more robust experience.

    • “This game is awesome; the story mode is great and replayable, and active updates keep it fresh!”
    • “Great action and superb (and really fun) voice acting have made this 3-4 hour campaign almost infinitely replayable for me.”
    • “The campaign mode was a lot of fun, but the horde mode is what makes the game replayable.”
    • “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.”
    • “This game is very short and not really all that hard, and replay value is very low.”
  • music
    82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    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 immersion, and note issues with volume levels in co-op mode. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated by many, its implementation and consistency leave room for improvement.

    • “It's a very entertaining zombie apocalypse game with great quality, great milieu, amazing soundtrack and the player's voice is also great.”
    • “The soundtrack is flipping amazing.”
    • “The music helped set the mood without being intrusive.”
    • “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.”
    • “First level of campaign mode I didn't get the feeling to go on, maybe because of the calm music in the background or the feeling the game was forced to push out before deadline, but so far I would not recommend this game until at least it's patched up properly.”
  • emotional
    48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players have expressed a strong emotional connection to the games, particularly highlighting moments of despair and hope that resonate deeply. While some found the voice acting and story lacking, others praised the character's emotional struggles and immersive experiences, leading to genuine feelings of investment and even tears by the end. Overall, the emotional tone and character development were noted as significant strengths, despite some technical issues and gameplay frustrations.

    • “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...”
  • grinding
    38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and repetitive, often requiring players to perform the same actions multiple times with frustrating controls. Many reviewers express that the experience becomes monotonous over time, leading to feelings of boredom and even rage quitting. While some elements of gameplay, like horde mode, can be enjoyable, the overall sentiment is that grinding detracts significantly from the game's appeal.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Hugely boring, grinding, exacerbated by terrible and shaky controls, slow reloads, until you're eventually zerged to death and end up rage quitting.”
    • “Dated controls, cruddy graphics, tedious gameplay, awful cave level no one seems to like.”
    • “Lastly, it got tedious as it went on... ironically, the character began talking about how tedious it was becoming.”
  • monetization
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy for the game has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, with many reviewers feeling that the $40 price tag is unjustified for the content offered, suggesting it should be priced between $10-20 instead. Additionally, there are concerns about shady practices, such as locking core content behind the requirement for newer Intel processors, which appears to prioritize advertising over player experience. Overall, the game's monetization approach has left a negative impression, overshadowing its graphical quality and gameplay.

    • “So... yeah, to me at least, @$40 this game feels like a cash grab or early access game that should be charging $10-15, $20 max.”
    • “The only downfall of this game in a world of VR 'experiences' and cash grabs, is its price point.”
    • “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
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game suffers from a lack of meaningful character development, leaving players wanting more depth in the story. Despite this shortcoming, some players still managed to form a connection with the protagonist, indicating that the character's relatability can shine through in an otherwise fun and engaging experience. Improvements in character development could enhance the overall narrative impact.

    • “The character development is engaging and adds depth to the gameplay experience.”
    • “The game offers a unique approach to character development that keeps players invested.”
    • “Character development is a highlight, providing players with a sense of growth and progression.”
    • “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.”
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5h Median play time
5h Average play time
4-7h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 98 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Arizona Sunshine is a survival shooter game with horror theme.

Arizona Sunshine is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Virtual Reality, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 5 hours playing Arizona Sunshine.

Arizona Sunshine was released on December 6, 2016.

Arizona Sunshine was developed by Vertigo Games.

Arizona Sunshine has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Arizona Sunshine is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Arizona Sunshine 2, SURV1V3, Arizona Sunshine Remake, Raw Data, Killing Floor: Incursion and others.