Call of Juarez (video game)
A Western first-person shooter with alternating protagonists.
Call of Juarez is a 2006 Western-themed first-person shooter developed by Techland for Windows and Xbox 360. It is the first game in the Call of Juarez series, which later included three additional titles. The game was published in North America by Ubisoft for both platforms in June 2007.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Techland
- Producer
- Paweł Zawodny
- Designer
- Paweł Selinger, Paweł Marchewka
- Programmer
- Wojciech Pszczółkowski
- Artist
- Paweł Selinger
- Writer
- Paweł Selinger, Haris Orkin
- Composer
- Paweł Błaszczak
- Platforms
- Windows, Xbox 360
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Call of Juarez is a first-person shooter where the player alternates between two protagonists, Billy 'Candle' and Ray McCall, each with distinct gameplay styles. Billy's levels involve partial stealth, while Ray's are more traditional shoot 'em ups. Both characters share an identical HUD and can single-wield or dual-wield handguns, single-wield rifles, interact with objects like health pick-ups and ammo, throw dynamite, start fires by shooting oil lamps, and ride horses from which they can shoot and enter a limited gallop mode. Hand-to-hand combat is available for both, but Ray can pick up and throw or melee with items like chairs. Ray is stronger and slower, cannot jump as high as Billy, but can kick heavy obstacles and withstand more damage due to a cuirass. Billy moves faster and quieter, can sneak, grip ledges, and pull himself up. He also uses a bow that triggers slow motion for silent kills, and a whip primarily for climbing or crossing gaps by lassoing trees. Ray can rapid-fire a six-shooter by fanning and wield a Bible; pressing the shoot button for the Bible hand causes Ray to quote a passage, which may panic, freeze, or cause enemies to flee.
Plot
The Lost Gold of Juarez is said to be the ransom for Moctezuma II, hidden after Tenochtitlan fell, with a curse from Huītzilōpōchtli that drives seekers mad—the Call of Juarez. In Texas, 1884, seventeen-year-old Billy 'Candle' returns home after two years searching for the gold. He finds his mother Marisa and stepfather Thomas murdered, with 'Call of Juarez' written in blood. Reverend Ray McCall, Thomas's older brother and a former gunslinger turned preacher, arrives and assumes Billy is the killer. Billy flees, and Ray sets out to avenge the deaths. Billy stows away on a train to San Jose to see Molly Ferguson, a former love. Ray pursues, encounters Texas Rangers with a warrant for Billy, and aids them in storming the ranch. Billy is shot and falls into a river. Ray discovers the rangers are hired guns who killed everyone except Molly, whom they captured. Believing Billy dead, Ray vows to save Molly. Billy survives but loses his medallion; he is nursed by an Apache named Calm Water, who advises him to accept his destiny. The hired guns kill Calm Water and capture Billy. Ray learns they are heading to Juarez.
Development
Call of Juarez was announced at E3 in May 2004 as Lawman, but the name changed to Call of Juarez in March 2005, along with a shift in gameplay style. Techland aimed to create a Western-themed first-person shooter as a reaction to the dominance of World War II and science fiction games in the genre. The designers conducted extensive research to ensure period accuracy in guns, clothing, flora, fauna, and architecture, and worked with horse riding experts for realistic horse scenes. The game used Chrome Engine 3, an upgraded version of Techland's in-house engine, developed with nVidia to incorporate Shader Model 3.0. This engine supported per-pixel lighting, normal mapping, Phong shading, Blinn lighting, virtual displacement mapping, shadow mapping, HDR environment mapping, and post-processing effects like depth-of-field, light blooms, refraction, and heat distortion. It also enabled wind effects, liquid interactions, vegetation and smoke simulation, and dynamic daytime and lighting changes. The game included ChromeEd, a tool for creating custom maps and mods.
Reception
Call of Juarez received mixed or average reviews on both platforms. The PC version holds a Metacritic score of 72 out of 100 based on twenty-five reviews, and the Xbox 360 version holds 71 out of 100 based on thirty-seven reviews. Eurogamer's Kieron Gillen scored the PC version 8 out of 10, praising the alternating level structure and calling it 'as good a cowboy shooter as I've played.' Tom Bramwell scored the Xbox 360 version 8 out of 10, praising the multiplayer and graphical improvements but criticizing the whip as 'needlessly fiddly.' PALGN's Mark Morrow scored the PC version 7.5 out of 10, finding Ray's levels 'an absolute blast' but Billy's 'an absolute bore,' while praising the tone and voice acting. Luke Van Leuveren scored the Xbox 360 version 7 out of 10, calling Billy's levels 'tedious' but Ray's 'brilliant fun.' GameSpot's Alex Navarro scored the PC version 7 out of 10 and the Xbox 360 version 7.4 out of 10, calling it 'a well-made genre exercise.' PC Zone's Jon Blyth scored the game 70 out of 100, praising the voice acting and tone but criticizing the enemy AI and concentration mode. The game sold better in Europe than North America.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who designed Call of Juarez (video game)?
Call of Juarez was designed by Paweł Selinger and Paweł Marchewka.
Who composed the music for Call of Juarez (video game)?
The music for Call of Juarez was composed by Paweł Błaszczak.
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