"A Big Step Up From The First" - Arizona Sunshine 2's Director On Its Undead Potential

screenrant.com:

aims to take the zombie killing fun of the original to new heights, adding in more complex combat as well as a key new companion: a dog named Buddy. The upcoming VR game comes from Vertigo Games, which in the past has produced titles like and alongside the original. While the sequel has certainly increased in depth from the original, it still seeks to keep the core pillars that made the first so beloved.

Players will find themselves in the same sort of chaotic, post-apocalyptic world as the first, but with new levels of depth to be found almost everywhere. The biggest change is of course Buddy, a dog that be used to do things like attack enemies, get otherwise inaccessible items, and carry weapons; there are also a myriad of cute, smaller interactions put in just for fun, like pushing the canine around in a shopping cart. These little details alongside revamped combat, more story, and an incredibly interactive environment give the title potential to be an even more immersive VR experience than the original.

Related: Arizona Sunshine 2 Hands-On Preview: Carnage With A Canine Friend

sat down with 's game director Peter Deurloo to discuss the game's evolution from the original, the importance of Buddy, and how fun comes before fear.

Screen Rant: I would love to hear what the process was like behind creating an environment that's so detailed and so interactive — how do you decide where all these Easter eggs will be? How do you figure out such a grand-scale type of thing from the ground up?

Peter Deurloo: That's a very interesting question, you get right into, «What's the game? What is level design?» [Laughs] There's a lot of things to say about that. But I think the most important thing you should always remember these