14 DAY TRIAL // First-person shooters have become, in recent years, quite bland and boring in terms of new ideas. You're either the gruff space marine in a mission to save his home world, the everyday man turned hero or soldier found in the front lines of a cold and cruel war.
That's why when Call of Juarez appeared it was a breath of fresh air, revealing to us an interesting take on the Wild West and how cowboys behaved during those times. It had some faults, it wasn't perfect, but it was praised for the things it tried to do and for the courage that Ubisoft showed when it published it.
Now, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is getting ready to make its appearance, aiming to introduce players to a brand new adventure with cowboys, set in the age of the North American Civil War. I recently had a chance to preview the game and can now share my impressions of it.
The first thing that grabs the attention is the graphics; it is a very beautiful game, as the gritty conflict that was the Civil War is carefully portrayed in some of the levels. From the expressions of the soldiers to the behavior of the foliage and of the trees, things look extraordinary.
You will get to play as the McCall brothers, Ray and Thomas, who start off as soldiers fighting in the Civil War against the Union. While they appear devoted to the cause of the Confederacy, things are not well for the two brothers as their home gets invaded by enemy soldiers, and they desert to save their family from them. After being named traitors, they have no choice but to travel across America and find the mythical gold of Juarez.
In most of the levels you can play as either of the two brothers, with each of them having a distinct type of abilities and traits. While Ray is more at home with close quarter combat and can wield two revolvers, his brother can handle rifles and shotguns with a greater accuracy and even use his lasso to reach high places and unlock paths for his brother.
As you kill enemies, you will unlock special “bullet-time” events, where time slows down and you can use the brothers' abilities: Ray can tag his enemies and then shoot them all at once while Thomas can take them all out if his revolver is used with his other hand.
Of course, being a shooter based on spaghetti-westerns, a duel isn't missing, as the two brothers, after fighting for a girl in a town, must face the Sheriff, coincidentally the father of the girl, in a classic duel. Waiting for the town clock to strike, you must ready your weapon and sharpen your senses as you must draw and fire first in order to remain alive.
Overall, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood looks very good and is certainly a game that many players will find attractive, especially for its interesting setting, which is a breath of fresh air as opposed to other titles. Look forward to it on June 30 in North American and July 3 in Europe.