I never made it to the end of the original Arizona Sunshine. Though it’s now considered an early VR classic, there were things about the game that bothered me. It’s been years since I played it on the original PS VR, but I remember having major issues with the aiming mechanics. I wasted so much ammo and missed my shots so often that I gave up after a few hours.

Arizona Sunshine 2 changes all that. I don’t know exactly what Vertigo Games, the developer of the magic ingredients, put in the blender, but suddenly I’m able to keep the best stuff and I often find myself with too much ammo and not enough inventory space. I’m not saying that Arizona Sunshine 2 is easier than the original, but I definitely had a lot more fun with it.

Arizona Sunshine 2 continues the adventures of the unnamed protagonist from the first game. For those of you who, like me, never finished the first part, the protagonist manages to fit the outline of these events into his endlessly babbling consciousness in the first hour of the game. The guy, well, he talks a lot. This time, our slightly drunk chatter intercepts radio communications that lead him to believe that the military is close to finding “patient zero” of the current zombie outbreak. From this, he comes to the conclusion that if he can find patient zero before he goes to the military, he can be on the road to success and return to what’s left of civilization.

This time, our hero is accompanied on his mission of survival and jokes by “Buddy”, a very practical dog who rescues the player character from a crashed helicopter in the first minutes of the game. Buddy is an absolute hero, capable of singlehandedly taking down most common zombies. Even unbeatable zombies can be stalled long enough to be injected with lead. He can also get into tight spaces and retrieve items the player can’t reach. To control Buddy, just point your hand at the zombie and click a button. In the game, your character will say something like “Get her!” and Buddy will go and get her.

Luckily, ammo is plentiful in Arizona Sunshine 2, as are the newly implemented melee weapons (which can be stored in your hand similar to After the Fall’s storage mechanic). Melee weapons don’t last long if you’re actively hacking away, but while they do, they’re incredibly satisfying, with blood and severed limbs and heads flying spectacularly through the air.

Ultimately, the danger isn’t about ammo rationing; the challenge is rather whether you can reload your weapon fast enough. Arizona Sunshine 2 had a manual reloading feature that improved over time, but I still found myself fiddling around with it when I got excited. Also, some weapons, like the six-shooter, were completely awkward for me, simply because you couldn’t reload them without clicking the PS VR2 Sense controllers together. I often found myself stepping away from the action to reload, then returning to combat afterwards.

In addition to the campaign, Arizona Sunshine 2 also includes a horde mode, which I tried but quickly abandoned. I just don’t think it’s my favorite. You can play the entire campaign in co-op mode, but I highly recommend playing solo at first for optimal levels of excitement and thrills. Except when your friends screw up the conversation. It’s like watching a movie with your kids: you just want everyone to shut up so you can hear what’s going on.

The story is a constant mix of jokes and bullet points, but it has some emotionally powerful moments. It’s not all beer and laughs here. I appreciate the thought that went into Arizona Sunshine 2’s sun-drenched, desolate overall atmosphere and the fact that the endless chatter is our character’s way of dealing with his growing loneliness and despair.

VR games have come a long way since the release of the first Arizona Sunshine, which was a groundbreaking title for the format. Despite improvements in gameplay (and shooting), I’m not sure Arizona Sunshine 2 breaks any new ground. This is more Marvel movie fun than Oscar-winning innovation. Still, a well-crafted story and a steady stream of laugh-out-loud jokes make Arizona Sunshine 2 a worthwhile journey.

Arizona Sunshine 2 may not be the game-changing milestone that the first game was, but the improved shooting, fun companion, and fast-paced jokes make this game a worthwhile journey. Arizona Sunshine is evocative, consistently entertaining, and occasionally moving. It feels like big-budget entertainment, so play alone at first to avoid chattering away while your friends are having fun.