Call of Juarez
Encyclopedia
Call of Juarez is a Western
-themed first-person shooter
from the Polish
developer Techland
. First released for Windows
in E3 2005, it was ported to the Xbox 360
in 2007. The PC version is one of the first games to use Microsoft
's DirectX 10. Its prequel Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
was released in 2009.
, held hostage by conquistadores. The treasure was lost long ago and never found again. Nevertheless, many daring souls set out to retrieve the riches of the Aztec Empire, but the treasure is rumored to be cursed.
Billy is a young man who doesn't know who his father is, and has no real last name. Due to the town's racism against his Mexican ancestry, he suffered racial prejudice from the local population. He especially hated his stepfather Thomas, who beat him daily. Fed up, Billy left his hometown of Hope to go after the Gold of Juarez, but after two years of fruitless searching, he found nothing.
Billy eventually returns to Hope, but when he arrives, he finds his mother and Thomas dead, lying underneath the words "Call of Juarez" written in blood. A man named Reverend Ray, a former outlaw who is Thomas' brother, sees Billy standing over his family, and presumes that Billy is the murderer. Billy flees from Ray’s attacks and escapes. Ray decides that it is his duty as God's emissary to track down and kill Billy for the crime.
Before Ray can set off in pursuit of Billy, bandits attack the town. He defeats them and goes in search of Billy. Meanwhile, Billy runs through a camp of bandits to escape Ray's pursuit. After sneaking through their camp, Ray confronts Billy, but Billy escapes by leaping onto an oncoming train. Ray follows the train, only to find the bandits raiding it. Ray saves the train from the bandits, and learns where Billy went.
Billy decides to go to the ranch of Molly Ferguson's father, where he used to work, as he believes she is the only one who will believe he is innocent. Ray tracks Billy to the ranch where he meets a group of Texas Rangers
who tell him they are going to attack the farm because Mr. Ferguson is a rustler. Ray helps them, and then chases Billy into the fields. He shoots Billy, causing him to fall in a nearby river. Ray returns to the ranch to find that the Rangers were in fact bandits, under the command of a man named Juarez. He beats two of the bandits to a draw as the others escape. With his dying breath, Mr. Ferguson begs Ray to rescue Molly, who was taken by the bandits. Ray races tries to catch them, but fails. Realizing that Billy wasn’t responsible for Marisa and Thomas' murder, he breaks down in tears, believing he has failed in his duty.
Billy survives, and is nursed back to health by Calm Water, an Apache
medicine man. Later, after running some errands for Calm Water, Billy returns to find him dead. The bandits who killed him then take Billy hostage. Meanwhile, Ray is pursuing the bandits in an attempt to redeem himself. He chases them on horseback, and shoots a bandit named Ty Stewart. As he dies, Stewart reveals the coach is headed for the town of Juarez on the Mexican border.
In Juarez, Billy meets a man named Juarez, who reveals that he is Billy's true father. He demands Billy find the Gold of Juarez otherwise he will kill Molly. Ray, who arrives and fights off the bandits, saves Billy, telling him to run. Ray fights more bandits and wounds Juarez, who manages to escape, telling Ray he will kill Molly if he doesn't bring him the gold.
Ray storms Juarez's alcázar
, fighting his way to a cell, where he finds Molly. Juarez traps Ray and Molly inside the cell, and sets fire to it. Billy puts out the fire, then confronts Juarez. He shoots Juarez to a draw and leaves him for dead. Billy then rescues Ray and Molly from the cell. Suddenly, Juarez walks in and guns down Ray, revealing that he was wearing armor. Juarez and Billy fist fight and Billy defeats him. As he lays dying, Ray realizes that the whole affair was his own fault, and prays that his actions will not cause Billy and Molly to die. He recovers just long enough to see Juarez spring a knife and attack Billy from behind. Ray kills Juarez, and then dies happily.
Later, Billy and Molly are standing in the Juarez cemetery over Ray's grave. Billy says he will take Calm Water's advice and no longer run from his destiny.
In the next mission entitled "Ghost town
", the deputy is on the trail of the Bloody Jack gang. Soon after entering the town, he witnesses an Apache
Renegade murdered by a group of outlaws. The Deputy engages in fierce gun battles, and when all the bandits are killed, the deputy meets Bloody Jack, a bandit who speaks in a Russian
accent. Bloody Jack offers him a deal to join his gang. The deputy refuses and guns Bloody Jack down.
In the final mission, titled "Showdown At Round Rock", the deputy finds himself at a town called Round Rock. Mayor
Walter Simms, is away on business, and hires the deputy to be a substitute sheriff
after the previous two sheriffs were either gunned down, or they disappeared. The deputy is also informed that a criminal named Vasquez is also in town staying in the hotel above the saloon. After several gunfights, and getting involved in Vasquez's activities, the deputy flees to Mexico a wanted man after shooting a corrupt County Commissioner.
Call of Juarez Final Mission - Mission about saving girl that calls Molly with Billy and Ray... Ray goes in the Mexican town and kill all of the Juarez's bandits...He goes in a hole where is Molly...Juarez drops dinamite in hole and Ray must shoot dinamite when he is still falling and at once Juarez drops an oil lamp in hole and lamp burned whole hole...In same time Billy is going to exghaust fire with water tower which is in town next to hole...When hole is not in flame Billy go in it and kill Juarez...Molly and Billy are in love and they are kissing...In the midtime Juarez alives and he tries to kill Billy and Molly....Ray is dead but he is a priest and a god bless him to revenge to Juarez ...Ray kills Juarez with his rusty Ranger and he dies...Molly and Billy are finally together!!!
gave the PC version 75.44% and 72/100, and the Xbox 360
version 71.74% and 71/100. Many game reviewers appreciated its gameplay and graphics, but criticised its character modelling and performance issues. GameSpot
gave it a 7/10, appreciating its superb graphics and multiplayer, while Eurogamer
gave it an 8/10, praising its impressive gameplay and dynamic story. IGN
gave it a 7.5/10, praising its impressive sound score and voice cast, but criticising its graphic problems and a poor lasting appeal. Hyper
s Maurice Branscombe commends the game for its "gun-slinging Western action done right". However, he criticises it for "physics fail in some sections and the loading times". A humorous example of a physics error became popular through the video named "Laddergoat" on YouTube, in which a goat ascended a vertical ladder when pushed against it.
, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in 2009. Its story focuses on the exploits of Thomas and Ray McCall (Billy's stepfather and step-uncle) in their youth. A third game in the series called Call of Juarez: The Cartel
was released on July 19, 2011. This third game is set in a present day setting. Locations take place from Los Angeles, California to Juarez, Mexico. The game is connected to the previous two games through the protagonist Ben McCall, an LAPD detective and Vietnam veteran who is a descendent of Billy Candle.
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
-themed first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
from the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
developer Techland
Techland
Techland is a Polish video game developer, founded in 1991 by Paweł Marchewka. They are most famous for developing Call of Juarez, a Western-themed first-person shooter, released for Microsoft Windows in 2006, and later ported to Xbox 360 in June 2007...
. First released for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
in E3 2005, it was ported to the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
in 2007. The PC version is one of the first games to use Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's DirectX 10. Its prequel Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a Western themed first-person shooter video game set in the years of 1864-1866. Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood was announced on January 14, 2009 and uses the Chrome Engine 4, the fourth generation of Techland's game engine.Developed by Techland and published by...
was released in 2009.
Story
A narrator tells the legend of the Gold of Juarez, which was allegedly meant as a ransom for MoctezumaMoctezuma II
Moctezuma , also known by a number of variant spellings including Montezuma, Moteuczoma, Motecuhzoma and referred to in full by early Nahuatl texts as Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin, was the ninth tlatoani or ruler of Tenochtitlan, reigning from 1502 to 1520...
, held hostage by conquistadores. The treasure was lost long ago and never found again. Nevertheless, many daring souls set out to retrieve the riches of the Aztec Empire, but the treasure is rumored to be cursed.
Billy is a young man who doesn't know who his father is, and has no real last name. Due to the town's racism against his Mexican ancestry, he suffered racial prejudice from the local population. He especially hated his stepfather Thomas, who beat him daily. Fed up, Billy left his hometown of Hope to go after the Gold of Juarez, but after two years of fruitless searching, he found nothing.
Billy eventually returns to Hope, but when he arrives, he finds his mother and Thomas dead, lying underneath the words "Call of Juarez" written in blood. A man named Reverend Ray, a former outlaw who is Thomas' brother, sees Billy standing over his family, and presumes that Billy is the murderer. Billy flees from Ray’s attacks and escapes. Ray decides that it is his duty as God's emissary to track down and kill Billy for the crime.
Before Ray can set off in pursuit of Billy, bandits attack the town. He defeats them and goes in search of Billy. Meanwhile, Billy runs through a camp of bandits to escape Ray's pursuit. After sneaking through their camp, Ray confronts Billy, but Billy escapes by leaping onto an oncoming train. Ray follows the train, only to find the bandits raiding it. Ray saves the train from the bandits, and learns where Billy went.
Billy decides to go to the ranch of Molly Ferguson's father, where he used to work, as he believes she is the only one who will believe he is innocent. Ray tracks Billy to the ranch where he meets a group of Texas Rangers
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
who tell him they are going to attack the farm because Mr. Ferguson is a rustler. Ray helps them, and then chases Billy into the fields. He shoots Billy, causing him to fall in a nearby river. Ray returns to the ranch to find that the Rangers were in fact bandits, under the command of a man named Juarez. He beats two of the bandits to a draw as the others escape. With his dying breath, Mr. Ferguson begs Ray to rescue Molly, who was taken by the bandits. Ray races tries to catch them, but fails. Realizing that Billy wasn’t responsible for Marisa and Thomas' murder, he breaks down in tears, believing he has failed in his duty.
Billy survives, and is nursed back to health by Calm Water, an Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
medicine man. Later, after running some errands for Calm Water, Billy returns to find him dead. The bandits who killed him then take Billy hostage. Meanwhile, Ray is pursuing the bandits in an attempt to redeem himself. He chases them on horseback, and shoots a bandit named Ty Stewart. As he dies, Stewart reveals the coach is headed for the town of Juarez on the Mexican border.
In Juarez, Billy meets a man named Juarez, who reveals that he is Billy's true father. He demands Billy find the Gold of Juarez otherwise he will kill Molly. Ray, who arrives and fights off the bandits, saves Billy, telling him to run. Ray fights more bandits and wounds Juarez, who manages to escape, telling Ray he will kill Molly if he doesn't bring him the gold.
Ray storms Juarez's alcázar
Alcázar
An alcázar , alcácer or alcàsser is a type of castle in Spain and Portugal. The term derives from the Arabic word القصر meaning "fort, castle or palace"; and the Arabic word is derived from the Latin word, 'castrum', meaning an army camp or fort...
, fighting his way to a cell, where he finds Molly. Juarez traps Ray and Molly inside the cell, and sets fire to it. Billy puts out the fire, then confronts Juarez. He shoots Juarez to a draw and leaves him for dead. Billy then rescues Ray and Molly from the cell. Suddenly, Juarez walks in and guns down Ray, revealing that he was wearing armor. Juarez and Billy fist fight and Billy defeats him. As he lays dying, Ray realizes that the whole affair was his own fault, and prays that his actions will not cause Billy and Molly to die. He recovers just long enough to see Juarez spring a knife and attack Billy from behind. Ray kills Juarez, and then dies happily.
Later, Billy and Molly are standing in the Juarez cemetery over Ray's grave. Billy says he will take Calm Water's advice and no longer run from his destiny.
Characters
- William "Billy Candle" Mendoza: A young drifter of Mexican descent, and one of the story's two protagonists. Anti-social and flighty due to his upbringing and the constant prejudice he experiences from those around him, Billy has been on the run for most of his life. After returning home after searching for the legendary Gold of Juarez, he finds his mother and stepfather dead and flees, giving his step-uncle the idea he was the one who killed them. Though he is on the run for most of the game, he eventually must face his enemies in order to protect those he cares about. It is assumed his last name is Mendoza, as his father's last name was also Mendoza (although it's possible that he might later take the name McCall in honor of his step uncle who saves his life from his biological father at the end of the game, since Ben McCall from Call of Juarez: The Cartel is listed as a descendant of Billy).
- Reverend Ray McCall: An old gunslinger turned preacher, and Billy's step-uncle. Mistakenly believing that Billy is responsible for the murder of his brother and his brother's wife (Billy's parents), Ray takes up his guns again to hunt down Billy in the name of justice. Though he is Billy's antagonist for much of the game, he eventually realizes the truth and assists Billy in his quest.
- Juan "Juarez" Mendoza: The main antagonist of the story. A powerful bandit leader, known only as "Juarez" after the town he is from. He is also Billy's biological father, and responsible for the deaths of Billy's mother and stepfather. Juarez is after the legendary lost treasure of Juarez, and is after Billy's amulet which holds the key to finding the treasure. His true name is Juan Mendoza, as revealed in Call of Juarez: Bound in BloodCall of Juarez: Bound in BloodCall of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a Western themed first-person shooter video game set in the years of 1864-1866. Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood was announced on January 14, 2009 and uses the Chrome Engine 4, the fourth generation of Techland's game engine.Developed by Techland and published by...
. - Tom Manson, Ty Stewart, and the McClyde brothers: Juarez's main henchmen, the men responsible for killing Billy's parents. Pretending to be Texas Rangers, they deceive Reverend Ray into helping them launch an assault on Ferguson's ranch in search of Billy. Before the fistfight between Juarez and Billy, Juarez claims Billy's mother "served" them, possibly in retaliation for her running away with Thomas in Bound in Blood.
- Molly Ferguson: The daughter of a wealthy rancher, with whom Billy fell in love. Her father is killed by Juarez's men, and Juarez holds her captive in order to force Billy to locate the treasure of Juarez for him.
- Calm Water: An old Indian medicine man who rescues Billy and nurses him back to health after he falls into water, after having been shot by Reverend Ray. Formerly known as "Running River" as presented in Call of Juarez: Bound in BloodCall of Juarez: Bound in BloodCall of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a Western themed first-person shooter video game set in the years of 1864-1866. Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood was announced on January 14, 2009 and uses the Chrome Engine 4, the fourth generation of Techland's game engine.Developed by Techland and published by...
. - Clyde Forrester: The owner of the local Saloon in Billy's hometown of Hope. A racist, religion-hating, violent trouble-maker, and a long-time enemy of both Billy Candle and Reverend Ray. Shot dead in a duel with Reverend Ray, who also burns his saloon.
- Suzy: A prostitute working in the Hope Saloon, and a childhood friend of Billy's. It is unknown if Suzy also died in the fire that engulfed the Hope Saloon.
Extra Missions
In the first bonus mission titled "Farm", the player controls an unnamed deputy who is after a gang of horse thieves. The Deputy finds a farm attacked by a few members of the gang who torch the farm. After attacking the outlaws and rescuing the family, he is sent to rescue their horses. The Deputy tracks down the bandits and after three separate shootouts, he is challenged to a duel by the bandit leader, who is then shot dead.In the next mission entitled "Ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
", the deputy is on the trail of the Bloody Jack gang. Soon after entering the town, he witnesses an Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
Renegade murdered by a group of outlaws. The Deputy engages in fierce gun battles, and when all the bandits are killed, the deputy meets Bloody Jack, a bandit who speaks in a Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
accent. Bloody Jack offers him a deal to join his gang. The deputy refuses and guns Bloody Jack down.
In the final mission, titled "Showdown At Round Rock", the deputy finds himself at a town called Round Rock. Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Walter Simms, is away on business, and hires the deputy to be a substitute sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
after the previous two sheriffs were either gunned down, or they disappeared. The deputy is also informed that a criminal named Vasquez is also in town staying in the hotel above the saloon. After several gunfights, and getting involved in Vasquez's activities, the deputy flees to Mexico a wanted man after shooting a corrupt County Commissioner.
Call of Juarez Final Mission - Mission about saving girl that calls Molly with Billy and Ray... Ray goes in the Mexican town and kill all of the Juarez's bandits...He goes in a hole where is Molly...Juarez drops dinamite in hole and Ray must shoot dinamite when he is still falling and at once Juarez drops an oil lamp in hole and lamp burned whole hole...In same time Billy is going to exghaust fire with water tower which is in town next to hole...When hole is not in flame Billy go in it and kill Juarez...Molly and Billy are in love and they are kissing...In the midtime Juarez alives and he tries to kill Billy and Molly....Ray is dead but he is a priest and a god bless him to revenge to Juarez ...Ray kills Juarez with his rusty Ranger and he dies...Molly and Billy are finally together!!!
Reception
Call of Juarez received mostly mixed to positive reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
gave the PC version 75.44% and 72/100, and the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
version 71.74% and 71/100. Many game reviewers appreciated its gameplay and graphics, but criticised its character modelling and performance issues. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave it a 7/10, appreciating its superb graphics and multiplayer, while Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
gave it an 8/10, praising its impressive gameplay and dynamic story. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave it a 7.5/10, praising its impressive sound score and voice cast, but criticising its graphic problems and a poor lasting appeal. Hyper
Hyper (magazine)
Hyper is a multi-platform Australian video game magazine. Australia's longest running gaming magazine, it has been in publication since 1993, and was released the same month as the better known UK magazine Edge...
s Maurice Branscombe commends the game for its "gun-slinging Western action done right". However, he criticises it for "physics fail in some sections and the loading times". A humorous example of a physics error became popular through the video named "Laddergoat" on YouTube, in which a goat ascended a vertical ladder when pushed against it.
Prequel
On January 13, 2009, Techland announced a prequel to Call of Juarez, Call of Juarez: Bound in BloodCall of Juarez: Bound in Blood
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a Western themed first-person shooter video game set in the years of 1864-1866. Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood was announced on January 14, 2009 and uses the Chrome Engine 4, the fourth generation of Techland's game engine.Developed by Techland and published by...
, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in 2009. Its story focuses on the exploits of Thomas and Ray McCall (Billy's stepfather and step-uncle) in their youth. A third game in the series called Call of Juarez: The Cartel
Call of Juarez: The Cartel
Call of Juarez: The Cartel is a first-person shooter video game developed by Techland. The game is part of the Call of Juarez western-themed video games, but is set in modern-day Los Angeles and Mexico as up to three players take the role of law enforcement agents...
was released on July 19, 2011. This third game is set in a present day setting. Locations take place from Los Angeles, California to Juarez, Mexico. The game is connected to the previous two games through the protagonist Ben McCall, an LAPD detective and Vietnam veteran who is a descendent of Billy Candle.
External links
- Official website
- Call of Juarez official fansite
- Call of Juarez at IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...