Why did Ray McCall decide to hang up his gun and become a preacher in the Hamlet of Hope instead? A query to which Call of Juarez never responded. Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is the sequel to the original game and relates the story of an event that took place 20 years ago that significantly impacted the life of a formidable gunslinger. The events of the novel’s first part take place directly in the middle of the War of Secession, with Ray and his brother Thomas serving the Confederacy. But they soon conclude that the safety of their loved ones back on the farm in Georgia is in jeopardy, so they desert the army and make their way home, only to find that it is too late. William, the siblings’ youngest brother, was the only one to survive the assault. Ray goes on a rampage for revenge while trying to give his brother strength through religion. He pulls Thomas along with him down a dark path that will only lead to the inevitable. While doing this, he tries to offer his brother strength through faith.
In most cases, the player can select whether they would like to play as Ray or Thomas at the start of each new level. This occurs in a limited number of missions throughout the game. The player has significant agency over the gameplay by selecting which character they will use in first-person shooter mode to go through the stages. Ray is unable to climb over obstructions, utilize bows, or throw knives for covert kills, nor does he have the ability to use the “shoot first, ask questions later” strategy. On the other side, Thomas was so weak that even if his life depended on it, he could not kick open a door. Therefore, the majority of the time, the two need to cooperate. However, there are times when the characters go their separate ways, and the mission develops uniquely for each of them.
Additionally, the two engage in their coop concentration mode at particular points in the game. This allows them to simultaneously slow down time and use their special attacks to remove significant numbers of foes. While Ray’s crosshair will automatically jump from enemy to enemy while in concentration mode, Thomas’s will not; instead, the player will need to manually pull the trigger each time to unleash hell on his foes. Ray must aim during concentration mode to do so. In a manner analogous to the duels, in which the player is required to draw his weapon in a single motion before being able to fire it, this is accomplished by making a virtual reverse pull with either the mouse or the analog stick. To restrict who can utilize the concentration mode, its “power” must be refilled after each successful slaughter of six foes, and it can only be stored for a predetermined period before vanishing if it is not used.
In addition to the single-player story campaign, the game also has a multiplayer mode based on classes and may support up to 12 players. Even though there is no option to play in cooperative mode, there are three competitive modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Wanted. In the game Wanted, one player assumes the part of a wanted criminal who the other players must apprehend. If a player successfully puts him to bed, they will immediately take on the role of the criminal themselves. The game Manhunt expands on that notion by sending an entire team on a search for the desired criminal for one minute, during which time a full team will guard the criminal. The last mode of the game is called Historical Events, which sets two teams against one other. In this mode, one team must complete tasks within a set amount of time (like detonating a weapons cache) while the other team works to thwart them.
