"Arizona Sunshine" Review: Immersive Zombie Apocalypse

After watching so many zombie shows and movies, you start to wonder: "Would I survive a zombie apocalypse?" Since a zombie outbreak hasn't occurred yet, virtual reality is the next best way to test your survival skills.

In the first-person shooter Arizona Sunshine, you are a survivor of a zombie apocalypse. The zombies are rampant, but there's still hope; you hear a voice on your radio, which may mean more survivors.

Trek through the Arizona desert, shoot down zombies, and try to stay alive while attempting to find the source of the voice.

The Good

As soon as you start up campaign mode, you'll notice that the creators actually put some thought into the setting, character, and storyline.

I find that many VR games put you in the shoes of a character with no personality or voice—you essentially play as yourself (which is lame). However, Arizona Sunshine allows you to play as an actual character. His sarcastic personality and deep southern drawl are introduced at the beginning of the campaign, but he remains nameless.

What's so great about Arizona Sunshine is its way of incorporating a variety of different sceneries. Traversing a desert during the entire game would be incredibly boring, which is why the developers added some much-needed diversity. You'll explore a pitch-black mine, an abandoned house, and a canyon during your adventure.

Now, let's talk about the zombies. They're not your run-of-the-mill zombies with raggedy clothes that haven't been washed in decades. These zombies have style—some sport a bikini and others don a suit. When a fictional zombie makes you rethink your clothing choice, you know that they're well-dressed.

Arizona Sunshine also does a great job with its gunplay. In fact, it makes you feel as if you're holding a real gun.

Once you're in a zombie's line of sight, it'll walk or run after you, so you always need your gun in ready position. Simply line up your laser sight, pull the trigger, and (hopefully) hit your target. Use your ammo wisely, as it's hard to come across.

If you didn't think it can get any more fun than this, you're wrong. Playing with a friend offers an even more enjoyable and challenging experience. Although you're forced to share ammo, your friend can come to your rescue when a zombie approaches you from behind.

The Bad

Like many VR games, the most problematic part is the controls.

Since you can't drop guns in this game, you have to store them on your holster or switch them out with another weapon that's already on the ground. In other words, a situation can get pretty tedious when you have to reload or switch guns. Juggling your guns, grenade, and flashlight is difficult at first, but you'll eventually get the hang of it.

Did I mention that there aren't any melee weapons? If you run out of ammo or grenades, you can't even fight with your fists.

Arizona Sunshine also has some issues when it comes to PSVR. Many players struggle with control and tracking difficulties that take the fun out of the game. Unfortunately, the PS Move controllers provide awful tracking, clunky controls, and gun inaccuracy. Upgrading to the PSVR Aim improves this issue, but makes it a little more difficult to open doors.

The Verdict

Arizona Sunshine offers endless replayability. If you get tired of playing campaign mode, switch over to horde mode. Horde mode places you in a map of your choice, as an unlimited number of zombies swarm your area from every corner. Surviving each wave is your only goal.

It's super important to get headshots in horde mode. Shooting a zombie in the leg or arm will only cause that limb to fall off. And yes, the zombies can still crawl without legs!