In December 2016, Vertigo Games released a zombie game called Arizona Sunshine for PCVR and PlayStation VR. This game allowed us to have fun killing zombies and enjoying some humor all while trying to survive. With this being part of one of my earlier reviews with The PlayStation Brahs back in 2017, I still found it was worth the time to play. So how does Vertigo Games take what was and make it into an even better experience? You remake it, of course. Let’s find out with Arizona Sunshine Remake for PlayStation VR2.
If you haven’t recently ventured into the sun-scorched wasteland of Arizona Sunshine, now’s the perfect time. As a lone survivor, a flicker of hope ignites when you hear a human voice crackling through the radio. With only motion-controlled weapons and limited supplies, you must navigate the treacherous terrain, battling hordes of the undead in your desperate search for fellow survivors in the post-apocalyptic Grand Canyon State.
So before going in with your guns blazing and shooting everything that moves, there are a few things that you should be aware of. First, make sure you do have some arm-length without anything that could be in the way. Zombies don’t care about your situation, so make sure you have the room to take them out, as they could come from any direction. Second, make sure your room has enough light. You want to ensure that you can detect your hands at all times. Third, I am not going to spoil anything for anyone and will primarily be talking about the campaign here. The other parts of the review could end up anywhere in time. And finally, enjoy what has been done here and enjoy the ride. With that said, let’s continue…
When you first start the game, you’ll immediately notice a few things. First off, Arizona Sunshine II is now available. If you haven’t played it yet, do yourself a favor and check it out, but make sure to play Arizona Sunshine Remake first. Upon starting, you’ll have several choices to make, including selecting the difficulty level. You can choose from Story for a relaxed narrative experience, Adventure for a balanced challenge ideal for VR newcomers, Survival for more experienced players, and Apocalypse for a hardcore zombie survival challenge. Pick your poison and good luck. The Main Menu presents a few options: Start, Options, and Customization. Feel free to jump right into the game, but it’s worth exploring the Options menu first. Here, you can set preferences like standing or sitting mode, height, movement hand, and many other customization options. One useful setting is to have weapons automatically reload when you bring them to your gun belt after ejecting the shells and magazines, but it’s all about tailoring the game to your liking.
In Customization, you can tweak your character’s appearance, including the hands and a selection of charms to adorn your weapons. Once you’re ready to start, you’ll have another choice to make: play the Campaign, Horde Mode, The Dammed DLC, or the Deadman DLC. Arizona Sunshine Remake includes all the DLCs released, and you can choose between single-player or multiplayer modes. For those who missed out at launch, the two-handed mode is also included and works seamlessly. Starting out in the cave of a shelter, the thing I noticed immediately was how much sharper everything looked. From the radio to the table to even the ground, and this is just starting the game. Heading to the outside of the cave, again, the improvements in the detail shine here. Depending on if you changed it in the options, you have a watch on your left hand that will display your health. When it starts to get low, and it will, you will need to replenish your health by finding food such as hamburgers, sausage, and even pizza. Now, some of this food may or may not be contaminated depending on the heat from the sun, how long it’s been sitting out, or even if some zombie hands have touched it. Either way, just enjoy the food. With your hands, you’ll notice an empty hole. This can be used to store an item such as something explosive or a weapon like a crowbar. This comes in handy, but weapons like these don’t last forever. It’s nice to be able to examine objects and see what you can interact with.
Ammo is scarce, so search everywhere, including abandoned vehicles. There are puzzles to solve, but they aren’t too difficult. You’ll need to decide how to fight or defend against zombies, or “Freds,” as they’re called in the game. Move from point to point to reach checkpoints, which are crucial for continuing after you die. Depending on the number of zombies coming at you, using firearms can be quite satisfying—shooting off arms and legs is not only effective but also entertaining as they fall and crawl. But nothing beats the classic headshot for zombie elimination.
Let’s talk about the graphics and sound. The graphics and sound in Arizona Sunshine Remake are truly impressive. Vertigo Games has outdone themselves with stunning visuals, from detailed environments to gruesome zombie animations. The satisfying dismemberment mechanics, like severing a zombie’s arm, are both visually and audibly satisfying. The audio design is equally impressive. Sky Soleil’s voice acting brings the story to life, while the ambient sounds and chilling zombie noises create an immersive and terrifying atmosphere. The game’s sound design effectively heightens tension and keeps players on edge, making every encounter with the undead a heart-pounding experience.
There are a few things that I would love to see added. Firstly, the occasional load screens can disrupt the flow of the game, especially when progress isn’t saved correctly. Additionally, players may encounter occasional soft locks, where they become stuck in the environment. While the game offers a “stuck” option to help, it’s not a perfect solution and can sometimes lead to frustrating gameplay experiences. A specific example of this occurred during a tense sequence involving a bus explosion and a horde of zombies. The game’s mechanics didn’t allow me to seek refuge in the gift shop beforehand, potentially leading to challenging situations, especially for those with limited ammo. I am hoping that future patches will address these issues and provide a smoother gaming experience. In the meantime, players should be prepared to exercise patience and precision in their zombie-slaying endeavors.”
Arizona Sunshine Remake gives us a fresh breath of air and deserves to be in your collection and improves on the original in every way. In life, we have our dreams that we hope will come true one day. For some, they will. For others, it may take a little longer, but if we keep dreaming, keep building, and put our hearts into something we truly believe in, anything old can become new again which can be an inspiration for others.
Arizona Sunshine Remake is out now for the Quest 2, 3, 3S, & Pro on the Meta Store, PlayStation VR2 on the PlayStation Store, and Steam VR. A review code was provided.
To learn more about Vertigo Games, please visit their site and make sure you like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time, is anyone up for some co-op action?
