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After Microsoft's latest announcement of Game Pass membership changes, featuring a price increase for the top tier to $30 per month, many subscribers are seeking new methods to get the most from their membership. For those holding onto their subscription or considering signing up, here are this week's picks.

This weekend's games feature a beloved Japanese role-playing game, a delightful indie adventure, and a superb puzzler scheduled to depart from the service shortly.

Persona 4 Golden

One of the top ways to get your money's worth from Game Pass is by immersing yourself in a extensive, engaging RPG — and Persona 4: The Golden Edition fits that description exactly. Players step into the part of a high school student who has just moved to the sleepy countryside of Inaba. During the day, your objectives involve forming friendships, taking on employment, and keeping up with schoolwork. By night, you investigate a chilling string of murders by venturing into unique locations based on your companions' deepest insecurities.

With a memorable cast of characters, strategic turn-based combat, impeccable visuals, and a plot packed with twists, Persona 4: The Golden Edition is considered a classic for many reasons. It also features a highly addictive cycle that will keep you up late into the night, repeatedly.

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato

Although big releases like Ninja Gaiden 4 are a key attraction for the service, the subscription also showcases smaller indie gems. A perfect example of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Drawing from Spirited Away, this charming indie game is a magical realist journey rooted in Latin American traditions. You join Miho, who, after assisting his grandmother make soup, is pulled into a colorful realm filled with potato-stealing frogs and other eccentric creatures.

Sopa unfolds similar to an learning-focused computer title from the 90s, as Miho tackles challenges and helps the realm's residents by gathering an assortment of objects. Though it's a little rough around the edges, Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato is a sweet small experience that proudly celebrates its love for the region's culture.

Cocoon

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure is set to exit Game Pass on Oct. 15, giving you only a few days to experience it via subscription — and you definitely should. Studio Geometric Interactive designed one of the finest puzzle games of recent years in 2023's Cocoon. Its central gameplay element revolves around transitioning between realms within additional worlds, and frequently you'll transport those realms, in the shape of vibrant orbs, with you.

Although it doesn't have direct instructions, everything about Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure's challenges is designed in a very intuitive manner, yet they can test you as well. The year 2023 proved a massive year for video games, so it's understandable if Cocoon was a bit overlooked by the masses. Let's correct that while we can.