Brothers in arms.
A prequel to the first game, Bound in Blood follows the early history of Reverend Ray McCall and his brother, Thomas, before the former became a man of the cloth. The story takes the Confederate brothers through the American Civil War and charts their descent into the life of lawlessness as they sling their guns across the country in search of the treasure of Juarez. The tale riffs on the themes and iconography of classic Spaghetti Westerns such as Leone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and does it very well indeed; honour, betrayal, revenge and redemption are the order of the day. In most chapters, players can elect to play as either of the two brothers, with Ray excelling at brutal close-quarters gunplay and Thomas being the proficient rifle marksman, knife-thrower and lasso-artist. Both characters are graced with a selection of firearms which look and feel accurate to the designs of the period. An assortment of pistols, rifles and explosives (among other things) are available, but the inventory never feels quite as varied or expansive as most other shooters. Fortunately, the weapons feel tactile and ‘meaty’ enough to make firing each one a satisfying act. Ray and Thomas are also graced with unique ‘concentration’ abilities which broadly allow them to enter a state of slow-motion and peg enemies with ease. Ray’s ability allows him to drag the aiming reticule over specific enemy body parts and Thomas can snap his rifle rapidly from one enemy to another in quick succession.
While the choice of characters allows for subtle nuances in the ways players can approach objectives, the title is primarily concerned with shooting; a lot of shooting. This is actually commendable because it suggests that Techland took heed of the criticisms made of the original Call of Juarez, namely that the stealth-oriented Billy Candle missions were in fact the weakest part of the game. Bound in Blood, while essentially a linear and scripted experience, still manages to provide enough variety to keep players engaged. So while most of the experience will be spent aiming down rifle-sights or dual-wielding six-shooters, the game utilises its rich setting well and makes use of the conventions of the genre in its numerous set pieces. One-on-one duels, horseback shoot-outs, blowing up bridges and taking control of mounted gatling guns round out the experience, and help regulate the flow of the core shooting action. Particularly entertaining are the duels, which are in essence ‘boss’ encounters with key characters. The camera is placed behind your character and focused on their hand and holster. The key to success is circling your opponent to effectively keep him within the centre of the screen and whipping out your pistol at the very moment that a church bell tolls and taking your shot as a reticule glides over the enemy. These scenarios are tense, heart-in-mouth affairs and represent the best videogame adaptation of this classic convention.
Gunplay is consistently satisfying.
Controls in general are tight and responsive in Bound in Blood to the extent that anybody who has played a first-person shooter in recent years should feel immediately comfortable with the set up. Techland has even included a seamless cover system which only requires that the player sidle up alongside vertical or horizontal cover. From this position, aiming with the right analogue stick pulls your character in and out of cover as the need arises. It is a clever mechanic and when it works, it feels head and shoulders above similar systems found in Rainbow Six: Vegas and Killzone 2. The system isn’t perfect, though, as many times you will be desperately trying to sidle up to cover and the character will refuse to ‘snap’ into it. Luckily, the game is generous with its checkpoints so frustration is minimal overall. The chapters which make up the game may be scripted, but this has allowed Techland to maintain a consistent level of excitement throughout the campaign. In many ways, Bound in Blood seems to have been designed with the same ethos applied by Infinity Ward to their Call of Duty titles; gameplay is dense, action-packed and directed.
Aesthetically, Bound in Blood is largely impressive. Crucially, the vast untamed landscapes are rendered with aplomb by the developers’ in-house engine. Rugged mountains, dusty Mexican townships and wide-open plains are vivid, evocative and detailed. Mist and particle effects are particularly well done, as one early bridge explosion demonstrates. The characters models are solid and chunky, albeit a little stiff and unsophisticated in terms of animation. Some nifty depth-of-field effects and a steady frame rate are sadly offset by some noticeable screen-tearing and a screen resolution which never quite feels sharp enough. However, none of the technical quibbles are enough to significantly detract from the impeccable art design and meticulous recreation of the Wild West as it exists in our minds and popular culture. Bound in Blood proves that a convincing atmosphere and vibe can overcome most presentational issues. Music and voice acting are similarly impressive, with a moody and percussive score accompanying the action without ever dominating the experience. Ray and Thomas are generally well-acted but some flat line delivery by supporting characters can be distracting. Importantly, the sound effects, from horses’ hooves to rifle cracks, are excellent across the board.
Not an image from an Indiana Jones title. Obviously.
Despite the fact that the game centres around two protagonists who are both present for most of the game’s duration, there is no co-operative mode in the game to compensate for the brief running time of the campaign. Whether the brevity of the experience is a blessing or curse will largely depend on one’s philosophy on such issues. The campaign never wears out its welcome and feels devoid of padding which would have muddied the title’s hectic pace. Ray and Thomas do feel different enough (and the game is fun enough) to justify a second run through the story, but gamers not prone to playing competitive multiplayer or hunting down achievements may find that the fun is ultimately short-lived.
Competitive multiplayer comes equipped with an interesting class-based system which includes ‘gunslingers’, ‘hombres’ (our personal favourite) and ‘natives’, each with different abilities and the scope for leveling attributes. Modes such as the standard death match are spiced with a clever ‘bounty’ system, whereby players who, for example, notch up a slew of kills become more infamous and attract a higher reward when killed. Similarly, there is a team-based mode called ‘Wild West Legends’ which pits lawmen against gunslingers in classic scenarios such as bank robberies and sieges and appears to be one of the more popular modes at present. Online performance is solid, the maps well-designed and the setting unique, which makes Bound in Blood one of the more interesting competitive multiplayer offerings of late.
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is the ideal prequel; it does a good job of fleshing out its characters and providing them with an interesting story while ironing out many of the rough edges of its predecessor, with a focus on fast, furious action and exciting set pieces. While room for improvement remains, particularly with respect to polish and performance, any aficionados of the Western genre owe it to themselves to give the title a try; this is an engaging first-person shooter which captures the spirit of Sergio Leone and places the action at your fingertips. It’s not perfect, but for our money this is the best videogame Western ever made.
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