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Following Microsoft's recent news of Game Pass subscription updates, featuring a price increase for the top tier to $thirty monthly, numerous members are looking for new ways to get the most from their subscription. For those keeping their membership or considering signing up, here are our latest picks.

This weekend's games feature a acclaimed Japanese role-playing game, a charming indie journey, and a superb puzzle game set to depart from the service soon.

Persona 4 Golden

Among the best methods to maximize value from your subscription is by diving into a lengthy, engaging role-playing game — and Persona 4: The Golden Edition fits that bill exactly. You take on the role of a teenager who has just moved to the quiet countryside of Inaba. During the day, your objectives involve making new friends, taking on employment, and keeping up with studies. By night, you work to solve a disturbing string of murders by venturing into unique locations themed around your friends' inner fears.

With a memorable group of heroes, strategic turn-based combat, impeccable art design, and a plot packed with surprises, Persona 4: The Golden Edition is regarded as a classic for many reasons. It also boasts a incredibly engrossing cycle that will have you playing late into the night, repeatedly.

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato

While big titles like Ninja Gaiden 4 are a primary selling point for the service, the subscription also highlights lesser-known indie gems. A perfect instance of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Drawing from the animated classic, this charming indie adventure is a fantasy journey steeped in Latin American traditions. You join Miho, who, after assisting his grandma prepare soup, is pulled into a colorful realm populated by potato-nabbing frogs and various quirky creatures.

Sopa plays out like an learning-focused PC game from the 1990s, as Miho solves puzzles and aids the realm's residents by collecting an assortment of items. Though it's a bit rough around the edges, Sopa is a sweet small game that proudly showcases its love for South America.

Cocoon

Cocoon is set to exit Game Pass on Oct. 15, leaving only a few days to play it via subscription — and you definitely should. Developer Geometric Interactive designed one of the best puzzle games of this generation in the 2023 release Cocoon. Its central puzzle mechanic revolves around transitioning between realms inside other worlds, and frequently you'll carry those realms, in the shape of colorful orbs, alongside you.

Although it lacks direct guidance, everything about Cocoon's challenges is designed in a very intuitive way, though they will test you as well. The year 2023 proved a massive period for video games, so it's no surprise if Cocoon was somewhat overlooked by many players. Let's rectify that now.