Recently, I met up with a few folks from Vertigo Games to get an early preview of Arizona Sunshine 2, aVRzombie shootin’ action adventure. A sequel to the first Arizona Sunshine, it follows a wise-cracking protagonist as he travels through the ruined, zombie-filled remains of Arizona.
Gameplay-wise, it’s fairly straightforward. You roam along a more-or-less linear landscape, scavenging for food or ammo and fighting the various zombies you encounter. On occasion, you’ll also come across an environmental puzzle or ‘stand your ground’ style horde attack.
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This makes Arizona Sunshine 2 a very ‘true’ sequel, keeping the familiar tone, atmosphere, mechanics, and characters of the first game. You still travel through a sunny, ruined landscape, facing real dangers, using a variety of weapons, and making silly jokes. At the same time, it introduces new ways to enhance the experience beyond the original, with dynamic weapon reloading mechanics, crafting systems, and of course, the dog.
Weapon reloading is more interactive and varied than before. While reloading a pistol is as simple as inserting a clip and pulling the hammer, larger weapons may require more complicated and hands-on methods. Shotguns require shells to be loaded one at a time, grenade launchers are opened by pulling down on the nose, and so on. It’s much more engaging compared to the traditional ‘slap an ammo clip into anywhere’ solution most VR games use.
There’s also a crafting system now, which is, admittedly, the most underwhelming part of the demo I played. You find random junk, such as screws, tape, etc. Then, you select recipes and smack the ingredients together at designated crafting stations to create useful items. All I encountered were basic recipes for explosives. While it gave more reason to scavenge for loot beyond food, the limited inventory space meant that it was hard to care too much about crafting more than whatever was convenient at that moment. Unless the options are more expansive in the full game, it will be easy to ignore crafting altogether.
Regardless, that’s not the frontman of this game. Arizona Sunshine 2 introduces another mechanic, far greater than everything else I’ve been over already: Buddy the dog. Posed as the focus of this game, Buddy travels alongside the protagonist to lend a hand (or paw?) on your adventure. You can issue commands to him, allowing access to out-of-reach areas and fighting zombies alongside you. You can even have him carry extra weapons and wear cute little hats. He’s adorable, helpful, and I became emotionally attached within the 45-minute timeframe available to me.
But it’s still a zombie game at its core. A classic concept in horror media, the sight of rot and decay as it surrounds and overwhelms you can be panic-inducing, even with your canine companion. I’ve always held that any game is scarier in VR. The level of immersion from the format allows dark alleys, approaching monsters, and hidden dangers to feel far more real than on a TV or monitor. And yet, it’s not the zombies that scare me, nor is it the unsettling quiet of walking around in the derelict landscape of the southwest. It’s the dog. The damn dog.
Most folks are aware of the Dead Dog trope. This media cliche implies that if a dog is presented in a narrative, that dog will later die for dramatic effect. Especially common in movies, it can be done to reinforce the threat of a hostile force, like when a dog runs into a cornfield where aliens are and is never found again. It’s also commonly used for emotional impact, where the death of a beloved companion can allow for an emotional turning point.
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I can get over the Dead Dog trope on a narrative level. It’s common, but it’s effective for a reason. The core of my concern lies with the format: VR. Like with fear, most emotions are more easily expressed in virtual reality. That includes creating emotional bonds with fictional dogs. When you can see Buddy right in front of you and can actually reach down and pet him with your own hands, it becomes startlingly easy to grow fond of the little fella.
And THAT is what scares me.
You’re taking the most immersive format, giving me a friendly pupper, and dangling the most emotionally heartbreaking idea off in the distance. Odds are I’m going to grow to love Buddy. I’m going to trauma bond with this beautiful boy, and I’m going to be legitimately upset should he perish.
I don’t know if they’re actually going to do it, either. And that in and of itself is terribly clever. I’m going to be fraught with panic any time something possibly dangerous happens to him. Will he get injured while running from a horde? Will he get infected? Will it be something as small as him going off somewhere and not coming back? Each idea terrifies me. Sometimes, the fear of losing someone close to you can be as terrifying as it actually happening.
Arguably, the worst part about this emotional roller coaster I’m sending myself through over this is knowing that the studio is going to do it justice. Between their past games and what I experienced in the preview, I have faith that they will handle whatever story and plot beats they go with effectively. Dog-icide or not, they’re going to punch me in the heartstrings.
Not every dog has to beef it to get the point across; I know this. But consider the story and setting of the first Arizona Sunshine game. It follows a lone protagonist, who has been living in isolation for years, as he treks through the zombified remains of Arizona. In his quest to make contact with others, the humor used to mask his loneliness begins to crack, and we can hear the restrained tears in his voice; we see a broken man starting to crumble. It’s a beautiful and eloquent display of how a person masks pain in difficult times.
The second game moves away from a story of isolation into one of companionship, with more of a focus on Buddy. Vertigo is taking a broken man, giving him a best friend, and expect me NOT to worry for this dog’s life? It’s emotional devastation waiting to happen.
All in all, though, I look forward to playing Arizona Sunshine 2 when it launches. What I experienced in the preview aligned perfectly with the studio’s track record, and the new additions I encountered seemed natural and interesting enough to make it feel like a proper sequel. If you liked the first game, you’ll like this one, potential dog-death notwithstanding.
Transportation was provided by Vertigo Games for the purpose of this preview.
