Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood () is a 2009 Western-themed first-person shooter for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360. Developed by Techland and published by Ubisoft, it was released in North America in June 2009 and in Australia and Europe in July. In December 2011, it was made available on the PlayStation Store and the Xbox Games Store, in November 2018, it was added to Microsoft's backward compatibility program, making it playable on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, and in September 2019, it was released on GOG.com. It is the second game in the Call of Juarez series, although narratively, it is a prequel to the first game.
With the majority of the story taking place eighteen years prior to the first game, Bound in Blood focuses on the McCall brothers; Ray and Thomas, who are fighting in the American Civil War. In August 1864, as the conflict is nearing its end, they abandon their post to try to save their family home. Labelled deserters, they go on the run with their younger brother William, a trainee priest. Two years later, hiding out in Mexico, they meet the bandit Juan 'Juarez' Mendoza and his girlfriend Marisa, and first encounter the legend of the Gold of Juarez. With their army commander still pursuing them, they enter into a dangerous alliance with Mendoza and an Apache tribe in order to find the gold. However, both brothers find themselves falling in love with Marisa.
In making Bound in Blood, Techland looked at the reception of the first game and removed the much-maligned stealth and platforming elements. Drawing inspiration from a variety of films and television, they sought to make something that would fall somewhere between a Spaghetti Western and a more traditional classical Hollywood western. So whilst the game's violence is over the top, its themes were modelled after the real-life issues of the day, with the script touching upon such topics as the psychological effects of the American Civil War on those who fought it, Mexican banditry, racism, and white suppression and displacement of Native Americans.
Bound in Blood received mainly positive reviews. Most critics found it better than the original, and many praised the plot, shooting mechanics, authentic western tone, voice acting, and multiplayer. Criticism focused on poor enemy AI, repetitive level design, and, especially, the lack of any kind of co-op mode. The game was a commercial success, selling over one million units worldwide across all three systems, considerably more than the first game.
Gameplay Bound in Blood is a first-person shooter in which the player controls one of two protagonists: Ray McCall or his brother Thomas, each of whom has a different style of gameplay. Whereas in the original Call of Juarez, the player controlled alternating characters from level to level, in Bound in Blood, most levels offer the player the choice of which character to play as. The character which the player does not choose is controlled by the AI for the duration of the level. There are also occasional levels through which the player must play with a specific character.
In many levels, there will be times when the brothers will have to directly help one another, such as Thomas helping Ray to reach a high platform, or Ray kicking down a door for Thomas. Most levels are played through in the same manner, irrespective of which character is chosen, with the only difference being that of gameplay. Occasionally, however, the brothers will separate within a level (such as Ray going through a mine, and Thomas going over it), and in these cases, the level design will be different depending on which character the player is using.
Although the style of play for both characters is different, controlling each character is broadly similar. Each shares an identical HUD, with the same information available to the player. Both can wield handguns, rifles, and shotguns. Both can interact with certain objects, such as cash dropped by enemies, ammo, and weaponry. Both can ride horses, from which they can shoot and enter gallop mode. Both characters can also avail of the same automatic cover system, which allows them to "snap" to surfaces and then peer left, right and, if the surface is a crate, over the top.
The main differences between the two characters are that Ray is stronger and slower, he cannot jump as high as Thomas, but he can kick doors down and take considerably more damage from enemy fire, due to wearing a cuirass. He cannot aim as far as Thomas, but he is faster with six-shooters, which he can dual wield, and is quicker when aiming at nearby enemies. Thomas can move faster than Ray and is quieter, allowing him to sneak up on enemies. He can also grip onto ledges and pull himself up. He has a better long-range aim than Ray but is slower when using six-shooters, which he can only single wield, and when aiming at nearby enemies. Ray can use two weapons that Thomas cannot – a dismountable gatling gun and throwable dynamite. Thomas can use three weapons that Ray cannot – a lasso, a bow, and throwing knives. When Thomas uses the bow, the player has the option of going into slow motion for more precise aiming or firing at normal speed. His use of the lasso requires the player to point the crosshairs at an appropriate spot, and then move the analog stick or mouse in a circular motion, mimicking the action of using an actual lasso. Once sufficient speed has been reached, the lasso will be thrown automatically.
Aside from using the bow, there are three types of slow-motion attacks in the game, called "Concentration modes". Ray and Thomas's concentration modes are charged by killing enemies, with headshots charging their meters faster than body shots. Once the player has filled their concentration meter, they have sixty seconds in which to activate it, or it empties by half, and must be recharged. In Ray's mode, once slow motion begins, Ray is free to rotate 360 degrees from a fixed position. If the crosshairs pass over an enemy, that enemy will be "tagged". Ray can tag up to the maximum number of bullets in his guns (usually twelve, although some guns carry more than six shots). This means up to twelve enemies can be tagged (or less than twelve enemies can be tagged multiple times), but the amount of time the player has to do so is limited. Once the time is up, Ray automatically fires at all tagged enemies with near-perfect accuracy. In Thomas's concentration mode, the player does not need to manually aim. Instead, the crosshairs automatically move from visible enemy to visible enemy, pausing on each one momentarily. As the crosshairs move, the player must hold down the fire button, and when the crosshairs pause, the player must pull back on the analog stick or mouse to fire at the target (mimicking the action of real-life fanning). The third type of concentration mode is dual concentration, which happens automatically at certain points of the game, always at doorways. Ray and Thomas simultaneously burst into the room, and the game goes into slow motion, with two targeting reticles appearing on either side of the screen, each moving towards the centre. The player cannot control the movement of either reticle, nor can they move the character during concentration mode, but they can control the positioning of the screen, allowing them to manoeuvre their vision to shoot when the reticles pass over an enemy. They can also shoot independently from either their left or right gun, or both simultaneously.
The game also features numerous duels. In these shootouts, the game switches to third-person and the character and enemy slowly circle one another, with the player needing to keep the character's hand as close to his gun as possible. However, they cannot touch their gun, as if they do, their hand is automatically moved away. At the same time, the player needs to keep the opponent lined up in the centre of the screen. When the time comes to draw, a bell rings, and the player has a very brief window in which to draw, aim, and fire.
Multiplayer The game's multiplayer mode is available via LAN and online on Microsoft Windows, via LAN and the PlayStation Network on PlayStation 3, and via System Link and Xbox Live on Xbox 360. All three versions feature the same game types; "Shootout" (deathmatch), "Posse" (team deathmatch), "Wanted" (one player is randomly designated as the "wanted" player, and other players can only score points by killing this particular player. Once the wanted player is killed, the player who killed them then becomes the wanted player. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins), "Manhunt" (team "wanted" game in which one player is randomly designated as the wanted player. If they survive sixty seconds, their team scores a point. If they are killed, the player who killed them becomes the wanted player. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins), and "Wild West Legends" (game scenarios based on real-life events, such as the Battle of Antietam, the Dalton gang's last raid, the Frisco Shootout, the Skeleton Canyon shootout, and the O.K. Corral, in which one team are the "Lawmen" and the other team are the "Outlaws". The Outlaws have a series of objectives and a limited time in which to complete them. The Lawmen must try to prevent them from accomplishing their objectives).
Multiplayer mode features thirteen classes, each with its own strengths, weaknesses, and weaponry. Classes available immediately are "Gunslinger", "Rifleman", "Miner", "Sniper", and "Native". Unlockable classes are "Scout", "Trapper", "Gunsmith", "Hombre", "Spy", "Officer", "Duelist", and "Veteran". Multiplayer games employ a "bounty system" for scoring - the more kills a player gets, the more his/her bounty increases, and hence the more points are awarded to any player that kills them. This bounty system is used in all game modes, on all maps, and with all character classes. Money earned during multiplayer games can be used to unlock character classes or to upgrade the class currently being used within the game. Upgrades are in two levels; the first cancels out the classes' weaknesses, the second increases the classes' strengths. If the player switches classes mid-game having already upgraded another class, their upgrades will not carry across to the new class. However, if they switch back to the previously upgraded class, their upgrades will remain. Upgrades, however, do not carry across to different games.
Plot In 1864, brothers Ray and Thomas McCall are sergeants in the Confederate States Army, fighting in the American Civil War. After a successful battle near the Chattahoochee River, they are ordered by their commanding officer, Colonel Jeremy Barnsby, to retreat to Jonesboro to reinforce supply lines. They refuse to comply, and instead desert to try to save their nearby home from the approaching Union Army. They arrive too late, however, finding the house partially destroyed, their mother dead, and their younger brother William, a trainee priest, by her bedside. Vowing to return and rebuild the house in the future, the three leave. Meanwhile, Barnsby vows to track them down and hang them for their desertion. Shortly thereafter, the Union proves victorious in the war, but Barnsby refuses to surrender and continues hunting the McCalls.