Following the company's latest news of Xbox Game Pass subscription updates, featuring a cost hike for the top tier to $30 monthly, many members are looking for new methods to maximize their membership. If you keeping their subscription or thinking about signing up, here are our latest picks.
Our selected games feature a acclaimed JRPG, a delightful independent journey, and a superb puzzler scheduled to depart from the service shortly.
Persona 4 Golden
Among the top ways to get your money's worth from your subscription is by immersing yourself in a lengthy, captivating RPG — and Persona 4 Golden fits that bill exactly. Players take on the part of a high school student who has just moved to the sleepy countryside of Inaba. By day, your goals involve making friendships, taking on employment, and keeping up with schoolwork. By night, you work to solve a chilling string of murders by venturing into unique locations themed around your friends' deepest insecurities.
With a unforgettable cast of characters, tactical turn-based combat, impeccable art design, and a storyline packed with surprises, Persona 4: The Golden Edition is regarded as a masterpiece for good reason. It also boasts a highly addictive gameplay loop that will have you playing late into the night, night after night.
Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato
Although big titles like Ninja Gaiden 4 are a primary selling point for Game Pass, the subscription also highlights smaller games. A perfect example of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Inspired by the animated classic, this charming indie game is a magical realist journey steeped in South American culture. Players follow Miho, who, after helping his grandma make soup, is transported to a vibrant world populated by potato-nabbing frogs and various eccentric animals.
Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato unfolds similar to an learning-focused computer title from the 90s, as Miho solves challenges and aids the world's residents by collecting an assortment of items. Though it's a little unpolished, Sopa is a heartwarming small experience that openly showcases its appreciation for South America.
Cocoon
Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure is scheduled to exit the service on Oct. 15, leaving only a short time to experience it via your membership — and you definitely should. Studio Geometric Interactive crafted one of the finest puzzle games of this generation in the 2023 release Cocoon. Its core gameplay element revolves around moving among realms inside other dimensions, and often you'll carry those realms, in the form of vibrant spheres, with you.
While it doesn't have explicit guidance, everything about Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure's challenges is built in a very intuitive manner, though they can challenge you as well. 2023 was a big year for video games, so it's no surprise if Cocoon was somewhat missed by the masses. We should correct that while we can.
