NIDZUMI+

Western games are few and far between and because of this scarcity they are often looked upon with great regard and fondness. Gun, Red Dead and the recent Damnation all have their followers even if the game is far from flawless. That’s why it was with great hesitation that I picked up Call of Juarez Bound In Blood only to find out that it’s been more inspired by Modern Warfare than Western Shoot-Outs.

The American Civil War is the setting for the early stages of the game as brothers Ray and Thomas McCall are serving their time in the Southern Confederacy. Generically the plot takes a turn for the worse when their hometown falls into the hands of the North. The brothers then desert their post and intentionally go against orders. While on the lamb, the story ventures into Mexico while the brothers hunt for the Juarez Gold along with their younger brother William who provides humanistic commentary between levels.

You’ll chop and change between the two brothers, who only ever so slightly vary in styles. Ray seems to be more focused on explosives and close combat while Thomas opts for sharpshooting and stealth. There aren’t too many noticeable differences part from these weapon sets except for their two distinctly different Precision Modes. These are essentially Bullet Time moments you can use when your back is against the wall. Ray’s is a 20 second slow down of time where you pinpoint all enemies in view. Once the time runs out, Ray hails on the triggers and shoots everyone you’ve targeted automatically. Meanwhile Thomas’ targeting is automatic with you simply having to pull the trigger and spin the right analog stick to keep your combo going.

At certain points of the game you’ll have the chance to enter co-op Precision Mode where you stack up against a door and then bust through in slow motion. All three are decent enough set pieces but always feel a little contrived and out of context when placed within the Western setting. But that’s just the way Bound in Blood is. You’ll often find yourself being held down by tons of enemies and simply thinking ‘Am I playing Call of Duty here?’ The sheer mass and constant onslaught of enemies is tiring to say the least but only because it’s not what you expect from a Western.

Vistas and viewpoints make up an excellent setting for the game even if some of the landmarks look a little too theme park-esque. The only quibble I can have about the other wise stellar visuals is the games over-reliance on blurring the field of view. Constantly blurring while fluttering between possible rifle fodder looks great when used sparingly but here it just feels like you’ve developed cataracts.

Once you’ve progressed through the short campaign you’ll instantly notice the one glaring omission from Bound in Blood, a co-operative campaign. This is because the singleplayer campaign entails the trials and tribulations of two brothers. Count them, two. So why isn’t their co-operative online or spilt screen. It feels like such an obvious omission and was probably excluded due to deadlines or a lack of hindsight. Maybe with decent post-release support they could possibly throw it in.

For all the glossy showboating that Call of Juarez does, it all comes to nothing special. The hardly touched upon setting, an interesting narrative and impressive visuals all brim in potential but a few design omissions and choices along the way have lead to another so-so shooter. There’s really one keyword to take away from Bound in Blood and it’s shooter, not western because Bound in Blood is really a run of the mill shooter with a Western themed skin and unfortunately so.