After the company's recent announcement of Game Pass membership updates, featuring a cost hike for the Ultimate Tier to $thirty per month, numerous subscribers are looking for new ways to maximize their subscription. For those holding onto their membership or considering signing up, we present this week's picks.
This weekend's titles include a beloved Japanese role-playing game, a charming indie journey, and a brilliant puzzler set to leave the service shortly.
Persona 4: The Golden Edition
Among the top ways to maximize value from your subscription is by diving into a extensive, engaging role-playing game — and Persona 4: The Golden Edition matches that description exactly. Players take on the role of a teenager who has just moved to the quiet countryside of Inaba. During the day, your objectives include forming friendships, working employment, and managing schoolwork. At night, you investigate a disturbing serial murder case by venturing into strange dungeons themed around your companions' deepest insecurities.
With a memorable group of heroes, tactical turn-based combat, impeccable art design, and a plot packed with twists, Persona 4: The Golden Edition is regarded as a masterpiece for many reasons. It also boasts a incredibly addictive gameplay loop that will keep you up late into the night, night after night.
Sopa - Tale of the Stolen Potato
While big titles like Ninja Gaiden 4 are a primary attraction for the service, the platform also highlights lesser-known games. A great instance of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Drawing from Spirited Away, this charming indie adventure is a fantasy tale steeped in South American culture. Players follow Miho, who, after assisting his grandma prepare soup, is pulled into a vibrant realm populated by potato-stealing frogs and various eccentric animals.
Sopa unfolds similar to an educational computer title from the 1990s, as Miho solves challenges and helps the realm's residents by gathering an assortment of items. Though it's a bit unpolished, Sopa is a sweet little game that proudly showcases its appreciation for the region's culture.
Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure
Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure is set to leave the service on Oct. 15, giving you only a few days to play it via your membership — and you definitely must. Developer Geometric Interactive crafted one of the best puzzlers of this generation in 2023's Cocoon. Its core puzzle mechanic revolves around moving between worlds within other dimensions, and often you'll transport those realms, in the shape of vibrant orbs, alongside you.
While it doesn't have explicit guidance, everything about Cocoon's puzzles is built in a highly natural way, yet they will challenge you as well. The year 2023 proved a big year for video games, so it's no surprise if Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure was a bit missed by the masses. Let's correct that while we can.