Alright, so, I’ve got a thing for zombies—no shame in that. I mean, zombies have always been my go-to monster across all media. And being a VR player, I’ve had my fair share of slicing and dicing virtual undead. Now, once upon a time, Arizona Sunshine was the undisputed champ of VR zombie action. Solid mechanics, quirky bugs, and co-op goodness—life was good.
Fast forward seven years, and we’re in the era of bigger, more polished VR titles. For me, The Walking Dead Saints and Sinners holds the crown of best zombie VR with the excellent Resident Evil 4 port snapping at its heels. But now we have Arizona Sunshine 2, Vertigo Games’ big sequel available on PCVR, Meta Quest, and PlayStation VR2. Will it take back its title as the best Zombie game?
I’m rocking it on the Quest 2 and visually, it’s punching above its weight, pushing the Quest 2 to its limits with decent graphics, more detailed environments, and a zombie horde that can grow to impressive sizes even if the zombie models repeat a bit, but hey, progress! This is certainly a massive upgrade from the OG and Vertigo’s other Left 4 Dead-style gig, ‘After the Fall.’
And if After the Fall is Vertigo’s pretty awesome take on Left 4 Dead, then Arizona Sunshine 2 gives more of a Dead Island (2023) vibe. Levels are bigger with places to explore, but let’s not kid ourselves—it’s kinda linear. Miss out on the exploration, and you’re speedrunning through it. But, if you’re the nosy type like me, digging around gets you sweet loot—different weapons, more ammo, crafting goodies. Yet, I gotta admit, I was often loaded up enough that exploration felt a bit like an unnecessary detour. It’s not survival horror; ammo’s everywhere. Open a car door, there’s ammo. Open a suitcase, surprise, more ammo. Dive into a dumpster? You guessed it—ammo. It’s immersion-breaking, like, why is there so much lying around? I Spent way too much time maxed out on ammo, making exploration less rewarding.
Now, before you think I’m downplaying the fun, let me tell you, the gunplay is top-notch. Guns feel different, animations are slick, and reloading varies from gun to gun, adding some spice. Eject, insert, cock—it’s a dance, especially when you’re surrounded. Mess up the reload and it may cost you your life! Melee, on the other hand, I barely touched. Storing weapons in your wrists is just awkward and eats up precious space. Compared to saints and sinners, it doesn’t even come close. Explosives? Tricky at first, but once you get the hang, it’s kaboom time. Dropping your gun to holster a grenade might be unrealistic, but hey, it works. Although, I did goof up on explosives more times than I’d admit, not pulling the pin enough, not lighting the Molotov and just throwing duds at people.
Environments and set pieces keep things interesting, even if they occasionally dip into zombie-game tropes. Sewers, anyone? But each has its own flavour, preventing the gameplay from going stale. Climbing sections add a dash of Uncharted vibes, and puzzles, while not brain-busters are a welcome break from zombie-slaying monotony.
Most zombie games have different variations of zombies, big ones that explode, ones that spit, ones that scream, tanks, etc. Arizona Sunshine 2 does not do this. The zombie lineup only includes Regular zombie, chunky zombie (more health), zombie with a hat on (a bit tougher to hit a headshot), and armoured tank zombie. No late-game big threats, no epic boss fights, no human foes. Choke points bring the heat, but that’s as close as it gets to a boss battle.
As for the story, the first game’s plot was so forgettable I played it twice and still draw blanks on it. Arizona Sunshine 2 follows the same nameless protagonist hunting for another survivor and patient zero. It’s a bit bare in places, but the finale is a step up, even if it’s mostly a vehicle for zombie mayhem. The protagonist’s wisecracks got old in the original, but now we’ve got Buddy—your canine sidekick—and that’s a game-changer.
Buddy’s the real MVP here. He’ll take out weak zombies, slow down the tough ones, fetch supplies and help with puzzles. A simple addition that hooked me more than I expected. Buddy’s also your four-legged backpack, carrying guns and adding two more inventory slots. Solid, right?
Now, co-op is where this game turns into a party. Wonky physics, weird animations, and goofy hats make it a riot with a friend. Crank up the difficulty, and it’s chaos—pure, unadulterated fun. If you can buddy up, that’s the way to roll. However, after diving into the game after its release, I ran into a few glitches, especially during co-op play. From disconnects and missing ammo to losing weapons and the occasional crash or visual hiccup, these bugs weren’t game-breakers, but they did pop up often enough to be a bit annoying. Despite that, they didn’t ruin the fun too much for us and a few of them were actually pretty funny. One particular bug saw a zombie having his head repeatedly slammed in a car door, while another zombie managed to pull off the bizarre feat of wearing glasses without actually having a head yet.
So, final verdict? Arizona Sunshine 2 is Vertigo Games’ ace in the hole, no doubt. It doesn’t break new ground, and yeah, it comes with a hefty price tag. The campaign’s short, taking me about 6 hours to reach the end but it’s replayable, and horde mode’s a good time-filler, with potential for more updates. It may not live up to the other big-budget VR titles out there and it certainly isn’t the best VR zombie game, but it’s hard not to recommend its fun arcade gameplay and lighter tone. If you can only buy one VR zombie game, it shouldn’t be this, especially at its full price, but it’s definitely a good time if you’ve played the rest and have some cash to spare. 7.5/10.
Actually, scrap that—you can pet the dog. So, for me, it’s a straight-up 10/10. Zombies, guns, and a good boy—what more could you want?
