Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
| Call of Juarez: Gunslinger | |||
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| Studio |
 Techland
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| Publisher |
 Ubisoft Techland Publishing
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
 May 21, 2013 May 22, 2013 May 23, 2013 December 10, 2019 (Switch)  |
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| platform | PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360 , Windows , Nintendo Switch | ||
| Game engine | Chrome Engine 5 | ||
| genre | Ego shooter | ||
| Subject | wild West | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Gamepad , mouse and keyboard | ||
| medium | Download , DVD-ROM | ||
| language | German , English | ||
| copy protection | Steamworks | ||
| Age rating |
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| information | German version, uncut | ||
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (German: Revolverheld ) is a first-person shooter from the Polish developer studio Techland and the fourth part of the Call of Juarez series. In contrast to its predecessor The Cartel , the game returns to the Western theme. It was first presented at the Penny Arcade Expo 2012 and finally published as a downloadable title by Ubisoft in May 2013 . Also in contrast to the predecessor of the series, which was reviled by critics, the reviews at Gunslinger were very benevolent. As a player you follow the life story of the bounty hunter Silas Greaves, with the staging and narration of the plot being praised.
In April 2018, Techland reacquired the rights to the Call of Juarez brand from Ubisoft.
action
In 1910, the aged but still legendary bounty hunter Silas Greaves made it to Abilene , Kansas . At that time, he looked on his horse, motorization had already set in, like a relic from the old days. He enters a saloon and introduces himself under his name. This immediately arouses the interest and curiosity of those present, who urge him to tell stories from his life, to which he agrees in exchange for free drinks.
The five listeners, including the landlord, a dancer and a teenager, eagerly listen to the stories from his life. In it, Silas Greaves tells about how he was part of the Lincoln County Cattle War in his youth , where he also met Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett and how he subsequently escaped his impending execution.
He also mentions how he got his life, which made him a gunslinger and bounty hunter. As a teenager, he accompanied his two older brothers on a cattle run in 1868. During the trip, he takes out three bush-thieves playing poker in a saloon with youthful exuberance. There is even an old Spanish coin under the prize money. The three brothers continue their journey the next day, ignorant of the fact that they are being followed by the guys from the saloon who seek revenge for the boy's humiliation at the game. After they have been caught up, the brothers find themselves with ropes around their necks, sitting on their horses, under a tree. One of the scoundrels, Roscoe "Bob" Bryant, mockingly sticks the Spanish coin into Silas' mouth so that it doesn't mean he has left him nothing. A shot sounds and the brothers dangle from the gallows while their executioners move on. After a while the branch breaks and the brothers fall to the ground. Only Silas survived with great difficulty. Since they were bigger and heavier, his brothers were already dead. Silas was angry and swore vengeance on the murderers of his brothers. In order to gain experience and to be able to finance the search, he hired himself from then on as a bounty hunter.
Silas Greaves continues to tell his audience about his actions. How he met and killed legends of the Wild West like Butch Cassidy , Newman Haynes Clanton, the Dalton Brothers , Sundance Kid , the James Brothers , Black Bart , John Wesley Hardin, Johnny Ringo , Wyatt Earp or Doc Holliday . He reports on his participation in events such as the gold rush, railroad robberies, encounters with indigenous people and his marriage to two Mescalero women at the same time. Also how he has already brought down two of the murderers. Silas ponders what has become of himself. Didn't he long ago become a bigger monster than the men he hunted? After all, he has killed far more people than this one; Sons, fathers, husbands. What his vengeance and bitterness would have brought him. A life without friends, without family.
Silas Greaves' descriptions are becoming more and more aloof, and he is getting more and more entangled in contradictions and unbelief. This leads to trouble for the audience, including doubts as to whether they are dealing with the real Silas Greaves at all or only with a drunk who tells them about robber pistols . So when he was asked to leave the saloon, he revealed himself and gave the reason for his stay. He takes out the old Spanish coin that he has been wearing around his neck for years and holds it under the eyes of the landlord Ben. He reacts with horror. In the old landlord he recognized Roscoe "Bob" Bryant, the last of the killers, but told the story to be sure and to watch the host's reactions. This protests the deeds of his youth and thinks that he has long been a different person.
Now the game offers two options. Silas can continue to follow the path of vengeance. He offers the landlord a revolver so that it doesn't mean he is going to shoot an unarmed man and takes his revenge. Or he now decides to forgive. Both have different ends.
Gameplay
As a first person shooter, the game offers 14 linear levels, which are based on popular western themes such as a ghost town, a mine, canyons, etc. Between the levels, the action is in black, white and red, only partially animated Told in still images. The game offers three game modes, in addition to the campaign, an arcade and a duel mode. In arcade mode, modified levels are played over time in order to achieve the highest possible points.
Despite the discreetly inserted cel shading , Gunslinger has a realistic look. During the game, kills, special forms of killing, long-range shots, etc. score points that can be expanded into combos. In a menu, these can then be invested in attributes in order to unlock special skills, better handling of different weapons and special weapons. After playing through the game for the first time, you can restart with the skills you have already acquired under “New Game Plus” and you will also be given an additional level of difficulty. The game itself offers variety through elements such as quick-time events or bullet-time effects.
In all levels, 54 so-called nuggets of truth are hidden, which can be called up under a menu item, describe historical facts about the people and events shown and show historical photographs. Ironically, these historically correct descriptions sometimes contradict the game itself, which is deliberately kept clichéd.
The special thing about the game is that it follows the descriptions and memories of the protagonist in its plot and presentation. This has a tendency towards exaggerations, contradictions or gaps in memory , which is noticeable in the gaming experience. Objections from the audience are also noticeable, which means that the narrator often changes his story while playing. For example, Silas Greaves mentions how he was suddenly surrounded by Apaches, although they did not play a role in this level. When asked about it, he changes his story, the game rewinds, and he mentions how he was surrounded by cowboys who attacked "like Apaches". The depicted Indians become cowboys again.
Dialogues between the narrator and the audience take place during the game. While Silas goes to the toilet to “choke the one-eyed snake”, the game continues, but as a player you are then caught in an endless loop and walk through the same train carriage over and over again in this level. At the same time you can listen to the conversations of the audience as they argue about the truthfulness and the person of the narrator. The game often offers such elements, with rewinding, exchanging characters, showing scenes from different perspectives, whenever Silas Greaves gets caught up in contradictions or is caught in an apparent lie. The representation in the game together with the description is interesting for the player. For example, when Silas Greaves describes having been attacked by "hundreds of angry Indians", but only half a dozen show up in the game.
synchronization
| character | speaker |
|---|---|
| Silas Greaves | John Cygan |
| Molly | Dorie Barton |
| Ben | Paul Eiding |
| Jack | Dale Inghram |
| Dwight | Sam Riegel |
| Henry Plummer | Adam Gifford |
| Old Man Clanton | Patrick Dollaghan |
| Grey Wolf | Robert Greygrass |
reception
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The game received mostly good reviews, with particular emphasis on the narrative of the plot, soundtrack, and professional dubbing. The linear levels and the short duration of the main campaign were criticized negatively, although the game is also given a high replay value.
Mathias Oertel from 4Players describes the production as a “borderline ingenious idea” and praises the fact that “the stringent shooting is repeatedly enhanced by surprising moments that often make you smile” .
“The interplay between the narrative level, the doubts of the audience, the adjustments made by Silas, and the effects on the experience are sometimes very subtle and made me wonder whether I influence the game world or whether the game world influences me. The mutual game between Gunslinger and me is frighteningly intense: The narrative influences the event and my reaction, the event and my reaction influence the narrative. "
On Spiegel Online , editor Carsten Görig particularly praises the self-deprecating portrayal of the main character, who is very convinced of himself. Precisely because the game deliberately “ spins cowboy yarn” , be it “entertaining from start to finish” .
“Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is an arcade-heavy, straight line western hit, as it is in the book, and doesn't want to be anything else. For me personally it would be too monotonous in the long run, despite the fabulous playability and the two additional modes, if it weren't for the fantastically told story of Silas Greaves. I have seldom grown so fond of a character in such a short time. No matter how much the old gunslinger gets caught up in contradictions, he always finds a way out without losing even a hint of his charm. The fact that Silas also incorporates all the legendary characters from the Wild West into his life story tops the shooter fun. "
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Peter Bathge: Call of Juarez: Gunslinger. In: GameStar . IDG Entertainment Media GmbH , May 23, 2013, accessed December 14, 2014 .
- ↑ Techland secures Western franchise on gameswelt.de (accessed May 1, 2018)
- ^ A b c Matthias Oertel: Test: Call of Juarez: Gunslinger. In: 4Players . 4Players GmbH , May 24, 2013, accessed December 14, 2014 .
- ↑ a b c Florian Heider: Call of Juarez: Gunslinger in the test - play me the song of the shot. In: GamePro . May 22, 2013, accessed August 16, 2020 .
- ^ Frank Erik Walter: Call of Juarez: Gunslinger - Test. In: Eurogamer . Gamer Network , May 23, 2013, accessed December 14, 2014 .
- ↑ Florian Heider: Play me the song of the shot. In: GameStar . IDG Entertainment Media GmbH , accessed December 14, 2014 .
- ^ Colin Moriarty: Criminally fun. In: IGN Entertainment . Ziff Davis , May 23, 2013, accessed December 14, 2014 .
- ↑ http://www.pcgames.de/Call-of-Juarez-Gunslinger-PC-256282/Tests/Call-of-Juarez-Gunslinger-im-Test-1070741/2/
- ^ Meta-evaluation Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (Windows). In: Metacritic . CBS Corporation , accessed April 23, 2015 .
- ↑ Meta ranking Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (Xbox 360). In: Metacritic . CBS Corporation , accessed April 23, 2015 .
- ↑ Meta-ranking Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (PlayStation 3). In: Metacritic . CBS Corporation , accessed April 23, 2015 .
- ↑ Meta evaluation "Call of Juarez: Gunslinger" (Windows). In: GameRankings . CBS Corporation , accessed December 14, 2014 .
- ^ A b Mathias Oertel: Test . In: 4Players . May 24, 2013.
- ↑ Carsten Görig: Westerns from yesterday, jokes from today . In: Der Spiegel .19. June 2013.