Yet another Fire Emblem game is heading to the 3DS this month, loaded with hours upon hours of exploration and battles. But no matter how big Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia turns out to be, Nintendo has big plans for the game post-launch, too. The unexpected part is that all of that extra content will actually cost more than the game itself.
Announced earlier this year, Fire Emblem fans were ecstatic to learn that Shadows of Valentia would be heading to the 3DS on May 19. With the game's launch only a couple of weeks out, though, today we have learned that May 19 is the same day the game's DLC will start rolling out, too.
Nintendo sent out a press release this morning explaining that Shadows of Valentia will boast five major DLC packs, which are set to start rolling out day one. But while the game itself is set to cost $39.99, you can spend another $44.99 if you want to land yourself a season pass to the DLC. Obviously, that's ruffling a few feathers.
Nintendo is only just getting into this whole DLC game in recent years, and they seem to have learned the ropes from some of the worst practices in the business. No matter how much DLC you're offering, nobody likes to be asked, up front, to pay for a bunch of extra content when they haven't even played the original game yet. And, while we definitely prefer having a clear outline of the DLC plan before dropping more money on it, having as many details as Nintendo is offering tends to beg the question, why does it feel like we're being asked to pay for content you've already got ready to release alongside the game? The fact that almost all of the DLC will be available about a month after the core game launches isn't really helping matters, either.
Either way, nobody is forcing anybody to buy the DLC, it just feels a bit odd to have a season pass that costs more than the core game. And if you were to buy the DLC piece meal, you'd be spending 30 percent more.
As for what you'll be getting, here's a brief rundown of the five packs. Once you take a gander at that, it's up to you to decide if it's worth another 45 bucks.
DLC Pack #1 -- Fledgling Warriors Pack (May 19, $7.99, three pieces of content): Ideal for early- to mid-game adventurers, this pack includes a new dungeon (The Astral Temple) and two new maps, great for gaining more items, money and experience points.
DLC Pack #2 -- Undaunted Heroes Pack (May 25, $9.99, three pieces of content): In addition to a new dungeon (The Inner Sanctum), this pack also includes two challenging new maps that stronger, more seasoned heroes will want to tackle.
DLC Pack #3 -- Lost Altars Pack (May 25, $14.99, 10 pieces of content): The mysterious dungeons included in this pack hold the power to upgrade characters to exclusive classes that don't appear in the main game.
DLC Pack #4 -- Rise of the Deliverance Pack (June 1, $12.99, four pieces of content): Discover the previously untold history of Valentia in this Prologue pack. Complete with new story content and additional voice acting that details the rise of the Deliverance in Zofia, this collection of challenging maps includes new support conversations between selected heroes, as well as the ability to take command of a character players won't be able to control in the main game.
DLC Pack #5 ($5.99, two pieces of content): More information about this final DLC pack will be revealed in the future.
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