After the company's latest news of Xbox Game Pass subscription changes, featuring a price increase for the Ultimate Tier to $30 per month, many members are looking for new methods to get the most from their membership. For those keeping their subscription or considering joining, here are this week's picks.
This weekend's titles feature a acclaimed JRPG, a charming independent journey, and a superb puzzler scheduled to leave the platform soon.
Persona 4: The Golden Edition
Among the top ways to maximize value from your subscription is by immersing yourself in a lengthy, captivating role-playing game — and Persona 4 Golden matches that description exactly. Players take on the part of a teenager who has just moved to the sleepy rural town of Inaba. During the day, your objectives include making friendships, taking on part-time jobs, and keeping up with schoolwork. At night, you work to solve a disturbing serial murder case by exploring unique dungeons based on your friends' inner fears.
With a unforgettable group of heroes, tactical battle system, impeccable visuals, and a plot packed with surprises, Persona 4 Golden is regarded as a classic for many reasons. It also features a highly addictive cycle that will have you playing late into the night, night after night.
Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato
While major titles like Ninja Gaiden 4 are a key attraction for the service, the platform also highlights smaller indie gems. A perfect example of this is Sopa - Tale of the Stolen Potato. Drawing from Spirited Away, this enchanting indie adventure is a magical realist journey steeped in South American culture. Players join Miho, who, after assisting his grandma prepare soup, is pulled into a colorful realm filled with potato-stealing frogs and various quirky animals.
Sopa unfolds similar to an learning-focused PC game from the 90s, as Miho tackles puzzles and helps the realm's inhabitants by gathering an assortment of items. Even if it's a little unpolished, Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato is a sweet little experience that openly celebrates its appreciation for South America.
Cocoon
Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure is set to leave the service on October 15, giving you only a few days to play it via subscription — and you definitely must. Studio the creators designed one of the finest puzzlers of this generation in 2023's Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure. Its core puzzle mechanic focuses on moving among realms inside additional worlds, and frequently you'll carry those worlds, in the shape of colorful spheres, with you.
Although it lacks explicit guidance, everything about Cocoon's puzzles is designed in a very intuitive manner, though they will test you as well. 2023 was a big year for video games, so it's no surprise if Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure was somewhat overlooked by the masses. We should rectify that while we can.
