Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (Polish: Call of Juarez: Więzy Krwi) 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.