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Following Microsoft's latest announcement of Xbox Game Pass membership changes, including a price increase for the top tier to $30 monthly, numerous subscribers are seeking new ways to maximize their subscription. For those holding onto their subscription or considering signing up, we present our latest picks.

Our selected titles feature a acclaimed Japanese role-playing game, a delightful indie journey, and a superb puzzle game scheduled to depart from the platform soon.

Persona 4 Golden

One of the top ways to maximize value from Game Pass is by diving into a extensive, captivating role-playing game — and Persona 4: The Golden Edition matches that description exactly. Players step into the part of a teenager who has relocated to the quiet rural town of Inaba. By day, your objectives involve forming friendships, taking on employment, and keeping up with studies. By night, you investigate a chilling serial murder case by venturing into strange locations based on your friends' inner fears.

With a unforgettable cast of characters, tactical battle system, flawless visuals, and a storyline packed with surprises, Persona 4 Golden is regarded as a classic for good reason. It also features a highly addictive cycle that will have you playing late into the night, repeatedly.

Sopa - Tale of the Stolen Potato

While major titles like Ninja Gaiden 4 are a primary attraction for the service, the platform also showcases smaller indie gems. A great instance of this is Sopa - Tale of the Stolen Potato. Inspired by Spirited Away, this charming independent adventure is a magical realist tale rooted in Latin American traditions. You join Miho, who, after helping his grandmother prepare soup, is pulled into a colorful realm populated by potato-nabbing frogs and various eccentric animals.

Sopa plays out similar to an educational PC game from the 1990s, as Miho tackles challenges and aids the realm's inhabitants by gathering an assortment of objects. Even if it's a little unpolished, Sopa is a heartwarming little game that openly showcases its appreciation for South America.

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure is set to leave the service on Oct. 15, leaving only a short time to experience it via your membership — and you absolutely should. Studio the creators designed one of the best puzzle games of this generation in the 2023 release Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure. Its core gameplay element revolves around transitioning between realms within additional dimensions, and often you'll carry those worlds, in the form of colorful spheres, with you.

While it lacks direct guidance, everything about Cocoon's puzzles is designed in a very natural way, though they will test you as well. 2023 was a big year for video games, so it's no surprise if Cocoon was somewhat missed by many players. We should correct that now.