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Following the company's recent announcement of Game Pass membership updates, featuring a price increase for the top tier to $thirty per month, numerous members are seeking new methods to maximize their membership. For those holding onto their membership or thinking about signing up, we present our latest recommendations.

This weekend's games include a acclaimed Japanese role-playing game, a charming independent adventure, and a brilliant puzzler set to depart from the service shortly.

Persona 4 Golden

Among the best methods to maximize value from Game Pass is by immersing yourself in a lengthy, engaging role-playing game — and Persona 4 Golden fits that bill exactly. You take on the role of a teenager who has just moved to the sleepy rural town of Inaba. By day, your goals involve forming friendships, taking on employment, and keeping up with studies. By night, you investigate a disturbing serial murder case by venturing into strange locations themed around your friends' inner fears.

With a unforgettable group of heroes, tactical battle system, flawless visuals, and a storyline packed with twists, Persona 4: The Golden Edition is regarded as a masterpiece for many reasons. It also boasts a incredibly engrossing gameplay loop that will have you playing past bedtime, repeatedly.

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato

Although major releases like Ninja Gaiden IV are a primary selling point for Game Pass, the platform also showcases smaller indie gems. A great example of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Drawing from the animated classic, this charming indie game is a magical realist tale rooted in Latin American culture. Players join Miho, who, after helping his grandmother prepare soup, is pulled into a vibrant world filled with potato-nabbing frogs and various quirky animals.

Sopa plays out similar to an learning-focused computer title from the 90s, as Miho tackles puzzles and helps the realm's residents by collecting an inventory of objects. Though it's a bit rough around the edges, Sopa is a sweet little game that openly celebrates its appreciation for the region's culture.

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure

Cocoon is set to leave the service on Oct. 15, leaving only a short time to experience it via your membership — and you definitely should. Studio the creators crafted one of the best puzzle games of this generation in 2023's Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure. Its core puzzle mechanic revolves around transitioning among worlds inside additional worlds, and often you'll carry those worlds, in the shape of colorful orbs, with you.

While it doesn't have direct guidance, everything about Cocoon's challenges is built in a very natural manner, yet they can challenge you as well. The year 2023 proved a big year for video games, so it's understandable if Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure was a bit missed by the masses. Let's correct that now.