Prequels are by analogue anxious with attractive at what has appear beforehand, but Bound in Blood is annihilation but a backwards step. This game--a prequel to 2007's Alarm of Juarez--is a tense, riveting, and superb-looking first-person ballista that ditches the stealth elements that chock-full up the aboriginal like molasses. Instead, it focuses on action-packed shoot-outs and set-piece moments that will accomplish you feel like you've beggared on the six-shooters and stepped beeline into the dusty, agitated Wild West. And while it's over all too bound (and abounding with none-too-smart enemies), Alarm of Juarez: Bound in Blood is abiding to blemish the itchiest of activate fingers.

The game's Western affair is presented with aplomb: it showcases an absorbing apple that bleeds with Wild West iconography. Bound in Blood is added spaghetti than Unforgiven--gun duels are preceded by acute bouts of staring, enemies will topple badly off aerial balconies aback shot, and there is added than one ample gunfight central an alone abbey or saloon. The game's news touches on abounding acclaimed Western motifs, such as honor, betrayal, greed, faith, and alike love, and while it doesn't footstep any fresh ground, it does present a acute narrative.

Set years afore the aboriginal game, Bound in Blood follows the McCall brothers--Ray and Thomas--as they change from atonement Confederate deserters to amoral abundance hunters gluttonous a fabulous fortune. If you played the aboriginal game, you apperceive Ray as a religious fire-and-brimstone preacher, which is a abrupt adverse to the lustful, greedy, anesthetic Ray portrayed in Bound in Blood. It's one of the abundant pleasures of the bold to see aloof how this transformation takes place, and while you'll apparently see the catastrophe from a mile away, it still packs a ample affecting punch.

While Ray is a beastly type, his brother, Thomas, is added anxious (although aloof as violent), and you'll get to comedy as both in Bound in Blood. You could additionally comedy as two altered characters in the aboriginal game, but while the two there were acutely delineated as activity or stealth, this time about both characters are action-focused. Ray is added direct: he can duel-wield pistols, bandy explosives, breach bottomward doors, and airing about with the casual Gatling gun. Thomas is an able with the rifle, is baleful with a bow, can use a apprehend to ability aerial places, and can use knives for bashful stealth kills. Ray is all about in-your-face confrontation, hasty in with both accoutrements afire and alarming up any obstacle. Thomas lets you comedy a added abstinent game, application the rifle's continued architect to booty enemies out from a distance. Anniversary brother additionally gets his own appropriate attack--called absorption mode--which slows bottomward time to acquiesce quick attacks on assorted targets. Though their attacks are performed differently--Ray's requires you to bound move your targeting reticle over foes, while Thomas' has you flicking the appropriate stick on the ambassador (or affective your abrasion aback and alternating in the PC version) in adjustment to carbon a gun's hammer--the aftereffect is the same: accumulation carnage.

Apart from a few missions at the alpha and abreast the end of the game, you can accept to comedy as either Ray or Thomas throughout best of Bound in Blood. The two brothers stick abutting calm for best of it, acceptation that afar from a few instances area one brother has to booty a altered path, you'll see and do the aforementioned affair no amount which one you comedy as. How you play--aggressive as Ray or attentive as Thomas--is altered enough, however, to accomplish it advantageous to go through the bold twice. This is a additional because of the brevity of Bound in Blood's single-player campaign. You'll acceptable accomplishment it (including all ancillary missions) in about seven hours on the aboriginal run.

However, those seven hours will be eventful, with gameplay abounding accurately amid acute shoot-outs, all-embracing set pieces, and affectionate one-on-one gun duels. The accessible weapons for the abounding Bound in Blood shoot-outs are adequately bound compared to added shooters, although accustomed the time period, that's hardly surprising. Both Ray and Thomas can use pistols, shotguns, and rifles, and there are several varieties of anniversary that you can advancement to as the bold progresses. The ample set pieces appear with acceptable regularity and accommodate application a cannon, alarming up a Union paddle steamer (don't worry, the Confederates get their due eventually), benumbed a bulk through avalanche while actuality pursued by affronted Native Americans, application a cart-mounted Gatling gun to mow bottomward enemies on horseback, and alike angry your way out of an age-old underground temple as it gets active in sand. You'll additionally get affluence of time on horseback, although the horses can change administration on a dime and alike bound strafe, so they don't feel abundant like absolute animals aback you're astride them

The gun duels are beneath animated but aloof as tense. These one-on-one diplomacy act as bang-up fights, pitting you adjoin an abnormally able adversary in an ancient quick-draw action to the death. The camera accouterment bottomward to a accurate appearance low abaft the amateur for these duels. You'll accept to bout your opponent's larboard and appropriate accomplish to accumulate him in the centre of the screen, while befitting your duke abutting to your pistol. Duel controls are absolutely precise, and you'll never feel like they're preventing you from acceptable a quick draw. It's heart-in-the-mouth being best of the time, and you'll apparently die affluence of times afore you get the timing of a draw right.

Controls are analogously bound beyond the blow of the game, although Bound in Blood's auto-cover arrangement does booty some accepting acclimated to. Simply blame up adjoin a wall, rock, tree, or crate puts you into awning mode, and for the animate versions of the game, blame the appropriate stick left, right, up, or bottomward leans your appearance out. On the PC you use the mouse, which feels far added accustomed than the clunkier Xbox 360 and PS3 controls.