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.

70%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

stability, optimization

77% User Score Based on 12,592 reviews

Critic Score 66%Based on 12 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $5.99

Buy NowGet on Steam$5.99

About

"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

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 12,604 reviews

story794 positive mentions

stability468 negative mentions

The humor in the game is charming and engaging, particularly in co-op play, where the comedic elements shine through.
The atmosphere effectively captures a post-apocalyptic setting with a mix of tension and dark humor, enhancing the overall experience.
The gameplay is fun and enjoyable, especially in co-op mode, with some players appreciating the immersive VR experience.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs, glitches, and performance issues that significantly detract from the overall experience.
The story is basic and linear, lacking depth and variety, leading to mixed feelings about its overall impact.
Many players find the grinding mechanics tedious and the controls unresponsive, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.

story
2,346 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
60%
6%
The story in "Arizona Sunshine" is generally described as basic and linear, often serving as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a focal point. Players appreciate the humor and personality of the protagonist, but many find the narrative predictable and the overall length of the campaign—typically around 3 to 5 hours—too short for the price. While the game includes engaging elements and enjoyable co-op gameplay, the story lacks depth and variety, leading to mixed feelings about its overall impact.
- “Has a really good story line that's fun to play.”
- “The story is fun but can be challenging in some parts if you're playing alone.”
- “The story is lighthearted with levels that excite while still offering chances to explore at a slower rate.”
- “The story is basically just a dude with one-liners trying to escape from the zombie horde-ridden Arizona landscape.”
- “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 is lackluster, the graphics are bland, the audio is dull, the gameplay is monotonous and gets boring quickly.”
gameplay
1,743 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
54%
9%
The gameplay of "Arizona Sunshine" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its dated mechanics and repetitive nature. While some appreciate the fun gunplay and immersive VR experience, others criticize the simplistic reload mechanics, lack of variety in gameplay, and clunky controls, leading to frustration. Overall, the game is seen as enjoyable for casual play, especially in co-op mode, but many recommend waiting for a sale due to its short campaign and limited content.
- “The gameplay is fun too and the reload system is quick and easy to learn.”
- “The gunplay is enjoyable, though my only gripe is that throwing grenades remains somewhat challenging, even after getting used to the mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is solid and the story was actually quite good.”
- “The gameplay itself is very primitive.”
- “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.”
graphics
1,384 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
39%
11%
The graphics of "Arizona Sunshine" 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 game's vibrant environments and decent graphical fidelity for its release period, others criticize the low-quality textures, clunky animations, and overall lack of interactivity. Overall, the visuals are seen as a significant drawback, especially when compared to newer VR games, though they can still provide an enjoyable experience if players are willing to overlook these issues.
- “The graphics are great, the movement is flawless, and the game is simply so fun to play!”
- “The graphics are nice enough and run smoothly with the proper PC, where you won't get dizzy.”
- “The graphics are beautiful but very taxing on your hardware; to play this on the highest settings, you will need a 1080 or better as well as a powerful processor to avoid getting some rather noticeable frame-drops during intense moments.”
- “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 the moment it simply aged horribly in every regard.”
- “The graphics certainly show their age at this point, with a lot of odd texture behavior via pop-in or props that move funny in the wild.”
- “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've never been updated, and getting stuck in a rock or in a wall should not require you to restart the level.”
humor
518 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
3%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players enjoying the quirky and sardonic commentary from the main character, which adds a light-hearted touch to the otherwise intense zombie apocalypse setting. While some found the protagonist's constant jokes amusing, others felt they became annoying over time, detracting from immersion. Overall, the game's humor is often described as charming and engaging, particularly in co-op play, where the comedic elements shine through the janky animations and dialogue.
- “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.”
- “The protagonist's lines get annoying and are not funny; most of his jokes are awful.”
- “Makes unfunny comments constantly and ruins any immersion.”
- “It's just not funny and the dialogue is just grating when it happens.”
stability
498 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
1%
94%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and performance issues that significantly detract from the overall experience. Many players describe it as "buggy as hell," with problems ranging from freezing and crashing to unresponsive controls and clipping issues. While some users find enjoyment in the gameplay despite these flaws, the consensus is that the game feels unfinished and is not worth its price due to its unstable nature.
- “The game runs great (solid VR 90 frames on a GTX 980, i7 4790k), looks great and has a good amount of replayability.”
- “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.”
- “This game is currently a buggy mess.”
- “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.”
optimization
246 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
45%
28%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering, lag, and crashes, particularly on lower-end hardware or during intense gameplay scenarios. While some users with high-end setups experienced smooth performance, others noted that even on recommended specifications, the game struggled with optimization, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the consensus suggests that the game is poorly optimized, with a need for further improvements to enhance 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.”
- “Arizona Sunshine is a moderately serviceable VR game, but it's plagued by poor optimization.”
- “Your guns disappear, zombies stutter and 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 iron sights on guns impossible to use.”
replayability
222 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
62%
9%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed, with many players noting that while the campaign is short (around 3-5 hours), it offers some replay value through co-op modes, horde challenges, and varying difficulty levels. However, several reviews highlight a lack of depth in the story and gameplay, leading to a perception of low replayability for solo players. The horde mode and multiplayer options are frequently mentioned as key features that enhance replayability, making it more enjoyable when played with friends.
- “The overall length of the campaign is pretty short, but with co-op, DLC, horde mode, and various difficulty levels, it's a pretty replayable title that offers a lot of fun and thrills for its price tag.”
- “This is a fantastic game, especially if you play online with a friend. Great graphics, intuitive well-executed controls, great voice acting, and lots of replay value.”
- “The campaign mode was a lot of fun, but the horde mode is what makes the game replayable.”
- “Very short with no real replayability.”
- “There's some replay value in horde mode and higher difficulty levels, but that's pretty much it.”
- “If you're looking for a hardcore zombie shooter with endless replayability for you and your friends, this isn't the game for you.”
atmosphere
204 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
29%
2%
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its immersive and engaging qualities, effectively capturing a post-apocalyptic setting with a mix of tension and dark humor. Players appreciate the detailed environments, sound design, and the ability to create suspense, particularly in darker areas like mines. However, some critiques mention inconsistencies in atmosphere and gameplay disconnection, with a few players finding certain elements, like flashlight mechanics, awkward or frustrating. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a strong point, enhancing the overall experience despite some minor flaws.
- “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.”
- “No music when playing does not build any atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is also disconnected from the gameplay.”
- “There are bugs, not a surprise, but my big disappointment is the atmosphere of the game.”
music
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
61%
6%
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. I would not recommend this game until at least it's patched up properly.”
emotional
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
94%
6%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by a compelling character journey that transitions from sarcasm to genuine excitement, engaging players deeply through immersive voice acting and gameplay. While some players experienced physical discomfort, the emotional weight of the narrative, particularly in moments of despair and connection, resonated strongly, leading to profound reactions such as laughter and tears. Overall, the game successfully evokes a range of emotions, making it a memorable experience for many players.
- “His emotional journey from sarcastic detachment to sincere excitement, and through other experiences I won't spoil, is deeply engaging, and delivered 100% during gameplay through voiceover - no cutscenes.”
- “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...”
- “Extremely short (90 minutes) and boring story full of fighting the same enemy over and over.”
grinding
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
36%
57%
Players consistently express frustration with the grinding mechanics, describing them as tedious and requiring excessive repetition, often leading to boredom and a desire to quit. The controls are frequently criticized for being unresponsive and cumbersome, particularly during interactions, which detracts from the overall experience. While some aspects of the game, like visuals and certain gameplay modes, are praised, the grinding element remains a significant drawback for many users.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “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.”
- “Dated controls, cruddy graphics, tedious gameplay, awful cave level no one seems to like.”
monetization
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of this game has drawn significant criticism, with many players feeling it represents a cash grab, particularly at its $40 price point, which they believe should be much lower. Additionally, concerns have been raised about deceptive advertising practices, including the promotion of a sequel through in-game news feeds and the locking of core content behind the requirement for newer Intel processors. Overall, players express frustration over the lack of regular updates and the perception of greedy development practices.
- “It is rather broken and doesn't get very regular updates, no fixes. It really is the definition of what gamers are afraid of when they think of VR games: the lacking content and greedy cash-grabbing devs.”
- “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
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
Overall, the game is criticized for its lack of depth and meaningful character development, with many reviewers noting that while they found some connection to the protagonist, the experience could benefit from a more engaging story. Despite these shortcomings, players still enjoyed the gameplay, highlighting its fun and entertaining aspects.
- “Character development and audio are hilarious.”
- “Fun, but could improve with more meaningful story and character development, and fine-tuning the aiming mechanics.”
- “And don't expect any depth or character development, because you won't find it here.”
- “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.”
- “While the game is short and lacks story and character development, it's extremely fun and engaging.”

66%Critics’ scoreBased on 13 critic reviews

Buy Arizona Sunshine

5h Median play time

5h Average play time

3-7h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 126 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

This game contains adult content

81%1.2kreviews