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After almost a year's worth of disappointing delays, gamers are finally just over a month away from Batman: Arkham Knight's release window. Rocksteady clearly took the time to make sure the game is jam-packed with new supporting heroes, vehicles, and features to make the wait worth it. As the release date quickly approaches, gamers are finally getting a closer look at some of the new features thanks to developer video updates.

One of the most interesting new features in Batman: Arkham Knight is the dual play combat mode. Combat in the Arkham series has been a major factor in the success of the previous installments, so any change to that system could potentially upset the loyal (and patient) fan base.

The dual play combat system allows players to seamlessly switch back and forth between control of Batman and his supporting heroes like Nightwing, Robin, and Catwoman in the middle of combat. Gameplay footage of these fight sequences initially gave some fans the impression that there would be a co-op mode, but that isn't the case. The transitions allows players to string together combos and special moves, while controlling two different characters during encounters. The latest episode of Arkham Insider gives an in-depth look at the system in action.

We won't know for sure until we get our own hands on the controller, but it looks like the rhythmic nature of the Batman: Arkham combat system has been preserved, and potentially enhanced, by the new Dual Play feature. Setting up combos and special attacks with an AI ally before switching to control of them adds an additional level of complexity to usual combat encounters. Although complexity isn't always a good thing, the new features seem to fit in with the Arkham Knight combat system's emphasis on flow and rhythm.

As explained in the video, players will only team-up with Nightwing and the other members of team Batman in encounters when the Caped Crusader is even more outnumbered than usual. One of the ways the game makes the user feel as powerful as Batman is by allowing them to go up against ten or more goons at once and the developers wanted to maintain that feel.

Unfortunately, from what we can see so far the hordes don't seem to be much smarter or more aggressive than the usual mobs. The group of low-level villains still only attack a few at a time, while the others wait around for their turn. We don't judge the combat before trying it out, but it seems like it might be more exciting to have help from a sidekick during combat encounters will smarter bad guys, rather than just more bodies to work through.

What do you think of the dual play combat system? Does the demo make you more or less excited for the new feature? Let us know in the comments.

Batman: Arkham Knight releases on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on June 23rd.

Source: Arkham Insider