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Bound in Blood is a first-person shooter in which the player controls one of two protagonists - Ray McCall or his brother Thomas, each of whom has a different style of gameplay.[4] Whereas in the original Call of Juarez, the player controlled alternating characters from level to level, in Bound in Blood, most levels offer the player the choice of which character to play as.[4] The character which the player does not choose is controlled by the AI for the duration of the level.[4] There are also occasional levels through which the player must play with a specific character.[5]

In many levels, there will be times where the brothers will have to directly help one another, such as Thomas helping Ray to reach a high platform, or Ray kicking down a door for Thomas.[5] Most levels are played through in the same manner, irrespective of which character is chosen, with the only difference being that of gameplay. Occasionally, however, the brothers will separate within a level (such as Ray going through a mine, and Thomas going over it), and in these cases, the level design will be different depending on which character the player is using.[6]

Gameplay in Bound in Blood. The gold star on screen indicates the location of the mission objective; the black cowboy hat indicates the location of the AI-controlled brother.

Although the style of play for both characters is different, controlling each character is broadly similar. Each shares an identical HUD, with the same information available to the player.[7] Both can wield handguns, rifles, and shotguns.[8] Both can interact with certain objects, such as cash dropped by enemies, ammo, and weaponry. Both can ride horses, from which they can shoot and enter gallop mode.[9] Both characters can also avail of the same automatic cover system, which allows them to "snap" to surfaces and then peer left, right and, if the surface is a crate, over the top.[10][11]

The main differences between the two characters is that Ray is stronger and slower, he cannot jump as high as Thomas, but he can kick doors down and take considerably more damage from enemy fire, due to wearing a cuirass. He cannot aim as far as Thomas, but he is faster with six-shooters, which he can dual wield, and is quicker when aiming at nearby enemies.[5][12] Thomas can move faster than Ray and is quieter, allowing him to sneak up on enemies. He can also grip onto ledges and pull himself up. He has a better long-range aim than Ray, but is slower when using six-shooters, which he can only single wield, and when aiming at nearby enemies.[5][12]Ray can use two weapons that Thomas cannot – a dismountable gatling gun and throwable dynamite.[13] Thomas can use three weapons that Ray cannot – a lasso, a bow, and throwing knives.[8] When Thomas uses the bow, the player has the option of going into slow motion for more precise aiming, or firing in normal speed.[14] His use of the lasso requires the player to point the crosshairs at an appropriate spot, and then move the analog stick or mouse in a circular motion, mimicking the action of using an actual lasso. Once sufficient speed has been reached, the lasso will be thrown automatically.[15]

Aside from using the bow, there are three types of slow-motion attack in the game, called "Concentration modes". Ray and Thomas's concentrations modes are charged by killing enemies, with headshots charging their meters faster than body shots.[4] Once the player has filled their concentration meter, they have sixty seconds in which to activate it, or it empties by half, and must be recharged.[12][16] In Ray's mode, once slow motion begins, Ray is free to rotate 360 degrees from a fixed position. If the crosshairs pass over an enemy, that enemy will be "tagged". Ray can tag up to the maximum number of bullets in his guns (usually twelve, although some guns carry more than six shots). This means up to twelve enemies can be tagged (or less than twelve enemies can be tagged multiple times), but the amount of time the player has to do so is limited. Once the time is up, Ray automatically fires at all tagged enemies with near-perfect accuracy.[12][17] In Thomas's concentration mode, the player does not need to manually aim. Instead, the crosshairs automatically move from visible enemy to visible enemy, pausing on each one momentarily. As the crosshairs move, the player must hold down the fire button, and when the crosshairs pause, the player must pull back on the analog stick or mouse to fire at the target (mimicking the action of real-life fanning).[12][17] The third type of concentration mode is dual concentration, which happens automatically at certain points of the game, always at doorways. Ray and Thomas simultaneously burst into the room, and the game goes into slow motion, with two targeting reticles appearing on either side of the screen, each moving towards the centre. The player cannot control the movement of either reticle, nor can they move the character during concentration mode, but they can control the positioning of the screen, allowing them to manoeuvre their vision to shoot when the reticles pass over an enemy. They can also shoot independently from either their left or right gun, or both simultaneously.[12][17]

A duel in Bound in Blood. Players must keep the character's hand as close to their gun as possible using the left analog stick or mouse, whilst simultaneously using the right analog stick or keyboard to move the camera so as to keep the enemy centered. A bell rings when the player can draw their weapon.

The game also features numerous duels. In these shootouts, the game switches to third-person and the character and enemy slowly circle one another, with the player needing to keep the character's hand as close to his gun as possible. However, they cannot touch their gun, as if they do, their hand is automatically moved away.[13] At the same time, the player needs to keep the opponent lined up in the centre of the screen. When the time comes to draw, a bell rings, and the player has a very brief window in which to draw, aim, and fire.[10][18]

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (Loose)