Three Game Pass Titles We're Playing Over the Weekend (Oct. 10-12)

Following Microsoft's latest news of Game Pass membership changes, featuring a cost hike for the Ultimate Tier to $30 per month, many members are looking for new ways to maximize their subscription. If you holding onto their membership or thinking about signing up, here are this week's recommendations.

Our selected games feature a beloved JRPG, a delightful indie journey, and a superb puzzle game set to depart from the platform shortly.

Persona 4: The Golden Edition

Among the top methods to maximize value from your subscription is by immersing yourself in a lengthy, captivating role-playing game — and Persona 4: The Golden Edition fits that bill perfectly. You take on the role of a high school student who has just moved to the sleepy rural town of Inaba. During the day, your goals involve forming new friends, taking on employment, and managing schoolwork. At night, you investigate a disturbing serial murder case by exploring strange locations based on your companions' inner fears.

With a memorable group of heroes, tactical turn-based combat, impeccable art design, and a plot full of twists, Persona 4: The Golden Edition is regarded as a masterpiece for good reason. It also features a incredibly engrossing cycle that will have you playing past bedtime, night after night.

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato

While big titles like Ninja Gaiden 4 are a primary attraction for Game Pass, the subscription also highlights lesser-known indie gems. A great instance of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Drawing from the animated classic, this charming independent adventure is a magical realist journey steeped in Latin American culture. You join Miho, who, after assisting his grandma prepare soup, is transported to a vibrant realm filled with potato-stealing frogs and various eccentric creatures.

Sopa unfolds similar to an educational PC game from the 90s, as Miho tackles challenges and helps the realm's inhabitants by gathering an assortment of objects. Though it's a bit rough around the edges, Sopa is a heartwarming little game that openly celebrates its love for the region's culture.

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure is scheduled to leave Game Pass on October 15, leaving only a short time to play it via your membership — and you definitely should. Developer the creators designed one of the best puzzle games of this generation in 2023's Cocoon. Its core puzzle mechanic focuses on moving between realms inside other dimensions, and frequently you'll carry those realms, in the form of vibrant orbs, alongside you.

Although it lacks explicit instructions, everything about Cocoon's puzzles is built in a highly intuitive manner, though they can test you as well. The year 2023 proved a massive year for games, so it's understandable if Cocoon was a bit overlooked by many players. Let's correct that while we can.