Call of Juarez (GOG)

Dusty frontier towns, sun-blasted canyons, and violent Gold Rush country provide the backdrop for a Western shooter that takes its drama as seriously as its gunfights. Call of Juarez alternates between Billy Candle, a young fugitive framed for murder, and Reverend Ray McCall, the ruthless preacher and bounty hunter pursuing him. Their conflict gives the campaign a stronger emotional core than the usual target-gallery FPS, with family secrets, faith, revenge, and betrayal driving the chase. The mood is grim, cinematic, and proudly rooted in classic Western films rather than modern open-world sandbox conventions.

Billy and Ray play very differently, which keeps the lengthy story moving. Billy relies on stealth, climbing, sneaking through guarded areas, using a whip to reach ledges or manipulate objects, and avoiding direct confrontations when possible. Ray brings the heavier firepower, wielding pistols, rifles, shotguns, and dynamite while leaning on a Bible to intimidate enemies or force them into surrender. Horseback pursuits, mounted shooting, saloon-style quick-draw duels, and environmental hazards break up the standard shooting, while the old Chrome Engine lets fire, smoke, objects, and explosions create occasional unscripted chaos. Combat can feel dated beside modern shooters, particularly in its checkpoint structure and uneven stealth sections, but its deliberate pacing suits the period setting.

What stands out is the commitment to making its two leads feel mechanically and morally opposed: one survives by staying hidden, while the other barrels forward as an armed instrument of judgment. Frontier environments have a tangible physicality, with breakable props, burning structures, drifting smoke, and shootouts that often become messier than planned. The visual technology no longer impresses in the way it did at release, yet the art direction still sells its dusty, dangerous version of the American West. Players who enjoy the campaign-driven focus of early 2000s shooters, or want a rougher precursor to Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, find plenty to appreciate; newcomers should simply expect an old-school design with some frustration alongside its memorable Western atmosphere.