Billy Candle fled Hope when he was a child. Beaten daily by his father, he sought an escape and was drawn to the Call of Juarez, a story about a large fortune hidden near Juarez’s city border. His quest offers no results, so he returns to his natal village to see his mother, disheartened. Billy’s uncle Ray McCall, a once-feared gunslinger, is among the other villagers. He had resolved to stop shedding blood and instead study the bible, eventually becoming a reverend in Hope. When Billy secretly meets his old acquaintance, Suzy, he is pursued around the village and becomes an unlucky witness to his mother and father’s murder. He is discovered near their bodies while the farm is on fire and becomes the primary suspect. Reverend McCall swears vengeance and pulls out his firearms, upsetting the peaceful village life. The two characters of Call of Juarez, a first-person Wild West shooter, are fugitive Billy and hunter Ray.
Players alternate between playing Billy and Ray. Their missions are situated in the same areas, and they occasionally cross paths and influence each other’s activities, yet their routes are entirely separate. Both characters can dual-wield revolvers or carry a shotgun, a Winchester, or a rifle with a scope. Still, Ray also has a bible that he can cite to shock adversaries, utilizes his fists, kicks, and wears a protective vest. Billy, on the other hand, is more youthful and athletic. He can climb cliffs, shoot with a bow, scare animals with a whip, and swing from branches. Both characters can enter a timed concentration phase. The game slows down, and the crosshairs of the weapons slowly move from the side of the screen to the center, similar to the “bullet time” made famous by Max Payne. This tactic allows players to take out many adversaries at once.
The playing style is also unique. Ray typically travels with his guns drawn, whereas Billy is a fugitive who must creep around and hide in shadows. Enemies react to movement, sound, and lighting flashes, illuminating places. The plot takes the characters through villages, mines, train robbery, horse pursuit sequences, and reflex-based duels. Compared to its contemporaries, Call of Juarez is more like Dead Man’s Hand due to its linear mission structure, as opposed to GUN’s significant degree of flexibility and open setting.
Most objects can be picked up and moved around to benefit the player, primarily as cover but also for building constructions, opening drawers, pulling carts, and throwing oil lamps, followed by a shot to set an area aflame. A red dot on a compass always points to the next checkpoint. Weapons must be reloaded frequently, automatically, or manually, while liquids refill health. Players can trade weapons and acquire ammo from boxes or dead foes.
The multiplayer function allows you to play online against up to 31 other people in various settings. From deathmatch and team deathmatch to modes like “gold fever,” in which players collect as much gold as they can find on the map. The Xbox 360 version includes achievements, three bonus missions upon completion, and 10 duel challenges.
