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Following the company's recent announcement of Xbox Game Pass membership changes, featuring a cost hike for the Ultimate Tier to $thirty monthly, many members are looking for fresh ways to get the most from their subscription. For those keeping their subscription or considering joining, we present this week's picks.

Our selected games feature a beloved Japanese role-playing game, a charming independent journey, and a brilliant puzzle game set to depart from the service soon.

Persona 4: The Golden Edition

Among the top ways to get your money's worth from Game Pass is by diving into a lengthy, captivating RPG — and Persona 4 Golden fits that description perfectly. You step into the part of a teenager who has relocated to the quiet countryside of Inaba. By day, your goals include making new friends, taking on employment, and managing schoolwork. At night, you investigate a chilling string of murders by exploring strange locations themed around your friends' deepest insecurities.

With a memorable group of heroes, strategic turn-based combat, impeccable art design, and a plot full of twists, Persona 4 Golden is considered a classic for many reasons. It also boasts a incredibly engrossing cycle that will keep you up past bedtime, night after night.

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato

While major releases like Ninja Gaiden 4 are a key selling point for Game Pass, the platform also highlights smaller games. A great example of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Drawing from the animated classic, this enchanting indie adventure is a fantasy tale steeped in Latin American traditions. You follow Miho, who, after assisting his grandma make soup, is pulled into a vibrant realm filled with potato-stealing frogs and other eccentric creatures.

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato plays out similar to an educational PC game from the 90s, as Miho solves puzzles and aids the world's inhabitants by collecting an assortment of objects. Even if it's a little rough around the edges, Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato is a heartwarming small game that proudly showcases its love for the region's culture.

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure

Cocoon is set to exit the service on October 15, giving you only a few days to play it via your membership — and you absolutely must. Developer Geometric Interactive crafted one of the best puzzle games of recent years in 2023's Cocoon. Its core puzzle mechanic revolves around moving among worlds within additional dimensions, and frequently you'll carry those realms, in the form of vibrant spheres, alongside you.

Although it doesn't have direct guidance, everything about Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure's puzzles is built in a very natural way, though they can test you as well. The year 2023 proved a massive period for video games, so it's understandable if Cocoon was a bit overlooked by many players. We should correct that now.