Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia announces $44.99 season pass

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, due to launch May 19 on Nintendo 3DS, will have a season pass of DLC. It's, uh, spendy.

The pass is $44.99 and covers five DLC packs, which Nintendo says comprises 22 pieces of content. The game itself is $39.99.

The DLC in the pass is mainly in the form of new maps and dungeons, though there is one new character to be added to the game in the fourth pack on June 1. Here's the breakdown:

• DLC Pack No. 1 — Fledgling Warriors ($7.99 a la carte, May 19) Two new maps and a dungeon, the Astral Temple.
• DLC Pack No. 2 — Undaunted Heroes ($9.99, May 25) Two new maps and another dungeon, pitched as a challenge for "more seasoned heroes."
• DLC Pack No. 3 — Lost Altars ($14.99, May 25) Per Nintendo's news release: "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 No. 4 — Rise of the Deliverance ($12.99, June 1) A "prologue pack" that features new story content, along with new voice acting. "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 No. 5 ($5.99, no launch date given yet) Name and details TBA.
• Season Pass (May 19, $44.99) All of the above.

Bought separately, these packs cost $51.95. It's not the most expensive season pass of DLC offered in video gaming — Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Battlefield 1 and Star Wars Battlefront have all offered them at $49.99. But it is rather formidable for a handheld game.