Epic New Batman: Arkham Knight Trailer Arrives with Allies

Publisher Warner Brothers Interactive and developer Rocksteady Studios are revealing more about Batman: Arkham Knight, including new playable characters and a new combat system that’ll let players feel more immersed in the Batman universe more than ever.

The two companies gave Batman: Arkham Knight buyers a taste of three different characters that they’ll be able to play as when the game launches June 26th. Each of the characters will feature prominently in single player experience, with their own weapons and fighting style.

The first of the three playable characters is Catwoman, which should come as no surprise to series fans. Rocksteady included an entire campaign featuring Catwoman in their last entry in the Batman: Arkham franchise, Batman: Arkham City. Joining her will be the well known sidekick Robin and Nightwing. Nightwing is an old partner who used to be Robin before assuming his own role in Gotham and going solo.

None of these characters are actually completely new to the franchise. At one time or another all three were included in the Challenge Rooms mode that threw waves of bad guys at players to see how high they could score with connecting combos and gadgets. What makes them so interesting is a new play mechanic Rocksteady is calling Dual Play.

According to Polygon, Dual Play will allow gamers to control multiple characters in Batman: Arkham Knight. How Dual Play works exactly is a bit unclear at this point, but the thinking goes that players will be able to switch between each of their characters during a brawl. Some are also speculating that Dual Play could work a lot like the switching mechanic in best-seller Grand Theft Auto 5. Warner Brothers and Rocksteady did release some new trailers allegedly showing Dual Play in action.

Already Batman: Arkham Knight was the summer blockbuster game to definitely get excited about. These three new playable characters and Dual Play take that to new heights. It’s pretty clear that Batman: Arkham Knight players are essentially buying a Batman simulator, that’s how many features Rocksteady has managed  to pack into this game.

Last year Rocksteady revealed that Batman: Arkham Knight would be the biggest city they’d featured in the series. Streets are wider and buildings are bigger to give players the feeling that they’re in a city fighting a never-ending battle against all sorts of criminals. We’ve seen it in other games, but the Batmobile is something you can actually pilot in Batman: Arkham Knight. That’s why the streets are wider. The Batmobile has two modes, one strictly for maneuvering around Gotham quickly and another for decimating anything that stands in Batman’s way. Last year Rocksteady confirmed that players will be able to call on the Batmobile when they need it like just another gadget.

Batman has an updated suite, and what we assume will be updated gadgets, but Rocksteady hasn’t detailed what’s in the character’s tool belt just yet. We do know that Scarecrow will be back for this game and play a central role in the story. The campaign also includes a new villain created specifically for Batman: Arkham Knight. He’s the Arkham Knight that’s mentioned in the game’s title. In the trailers he really does come off as like Batman, but bent on bringing Gotham City to its knees.

Originally Batman: Arkham Knight was slated for release last year. During the summer Warner Brothers delayed the game, revealing It’d launch sometime in 2016 instead. Right now players can pre-order Batman:Arkham Knight from GameStop and other retailers ahead of its June 21st release. A basic copy of the game costs just $60, but there’s a special collectors edition that also includes a Batmobile statue that transforms.

Warner Brothers nor Rocksteady have said anything about downloadable content coming after the game or season passes that users will be able to buy on release day. Presumably, we’ll get more information about those things closer to release.