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Following Microsoft's recent news of Xbox Game Pass membership changes, featuring a price increase for the Ultimate Tier to $thirty per month, many members are looking for fresh ways to get the most from their membership. For those keeping their subscription or considering joining, we present our latest recommendations.

This weekend's games feature a acclaimed Japanese role-playing game, a charming indie journey, and a brilliant puzzler scheduled to depart from the platform soon.

Persona 4 Golden

One of the top methods to maximize value from your subscription is by immersing yourself in a extensive, captivating RPG — and Persona 4: The Golden Edition matches that bill perfectly. You step into the part of a teenager who has just moved to the quiet countryside of Inaba. By day, your goals involve making new friends, working part-time jobs, and managing schoolwork. At night, you work to solve a disturbing string of murders by exploring unique dungeons based on your companions' deepest insecurities.

With a memorable group of heroes, tactical battle system, flawless visuals, and a plot packed with surprises, Persona 4: The Golden Edition is considered a masterpiece for good reason. It also features a highly addictive gameplay loop that will keep you up late into the night, repeatedly.

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato

Although major titles like Ninja Gaiden IV are a primary selling point for the service, the subscription also highlights lesser-known games. A perfect instance of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Drawing from Spirited Away, this enchanting indie game is a fantasy tale steeped in Latin American traditions. Players join Miho, who, after helping his grandmother prepare soup, is transported to a colorful world populated by potato-stealing frogs and other quirky creatures.

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato unfolds like an learning-focused computer title from the 1990s, as Miho solves puzzles and helps the realm's inhabitants by collecting an inventory of objects. Though it's a bit rough around the edges, Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato is a heartwarming small game that proudly celebrates its appreciation for South America.

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure is set to leave Game Pass on Oct. 15, leaving only a few days to play it via subscription — and you definitely must. Studio Geometric Interactive designed one of the best puzzle games of recent years in 2023's Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure. Its core gameplay element revolves around transitioning between realms within other worlds, and frequently you'll carry those worlds, in the form of vibrant spheres, with you.

Although it doesn't have explicit guidance, everything about Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure's puzzles is built in a highly intuitive way, though they will challenge you as well. The year 2023 proved a big year for games, so it's understandable if Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure was somewhat missed by many players. We should rectify that while we can.