🔗 Share this article

Following Microsoft's recent announcement of Xbox Game Pass membership changes, featuring a price increase for the top tier to $30 per month, many members are seeking new methods to maximize their membership. If you holding onto their membership or considering joining, here are this week's picks.

This weekend's titles feature a acclaimed JRPG, a delightful independent adventure, and a superb puzzle game scheduled to depart from the platform soon.

Persona 4 Golden

One of the top ways to get your money's worth from Game Pass is by diving into a lengthy, captivating RPG — and Persona 4 Golden matches that description perfectly. Players take on the part of a teenager who has just moved to the quiet countryside of Inaba. During the day, your objectives include making friendships, working employment, and keeping up with studies. At night, you work to solve a disturbing serial murder case by exploring strange dungeons themed around your companions' deepest insecurities.

With a unforgettable group of heroes, strategic battle system, flawless art design, and a plot packed with surprises, Persona 4 Golden is considered a classic for many reasons. It also boasts a highly addictive gameplay loop that will keep you up past bedtime, night after night.

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato

Although big releases like Ninja Gaiden 4 are a primary selling point for the service, the platform also showcases lesser-known indie gems. A great example of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Inspired by Spirited Away, this charming indie adventure is a fantasy tale rooted in Latin American culture. Players follow Miho, who, after helping his grandma prepare soup, is pulled into a colorful world populated by potato-nabbing frogs and various quirky animals.

Sopa plays out similar to an learning-focused computer title from the 1990s, as Miho solves challenges and aids the world's residents by collecting an assortment of items. Though it's a little unpolished, Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato is a sweet small experience that proudly celebrates its love for South America.

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure

Cocoon is scheduled to leave the service on Oct. 15, leaving only a short time to experience it via subscription — and you definitely must. Studio the creators designed one of the best puzzlers of recent years in 2023's Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure. Its core puzzle mechanic revolves around transitioning between worlds within additional worlds, and frequently you'll transport those realms, in the form of vibrant orbs, with you.

Although it lacks direct guidance, everything about Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure's puzzles is built in a very natural manner, though they will test you as well. The year 2023 proved a massive period for video games, so it's no surprise if Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure was a bit overlooked by the masses. We should correct that now.