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After Microsoft's latest announcement of Xbox Game Pass subscription changes, featuring a cost hike for the top tier to $30 per month, many subscribers are looking for fresh ways to maximize their subscription. If you holding onto their subscription or considering signing up, here are this week's picks.

Our selected games include a beloved Japanese role-playing game, a charming independent adventure, and a superb puzzler set to leave the service soon.

Persona 4 Golden

Among the top methods to maximize value from Game Pass is by immersing yourself in a extensive, captivating role-playing game — and Persona 4: The Golden Edition fits that bill exactly. Players step into the role of a teenager who has just moved to the sleepy rural town of Inaba. During the day, your objectives involve making new friends, working part-time jobs, and managing schoolwork. At night, you work to solve a chilling string of murders by venturing into strange locations themed around your friends' inner fears.

With a memorable cast of characters, strategic battle system, impeccable visuals, and a plot full of surprises, Persona 4 Golden is regarded as a classic for many reasons. It also boasts a incredibly engrossing cycle that will keep you up past bedtime, repeatedly.

Sopa - Tale of the Stolen Potato

While major titles like Ninja Gaiden 4 are a primary selling point for Game Pass, the subscription also highlights lesser-known indie gems. A perfect instance of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Inspired by the animated classic, this enchanting indie game is a fantasy journey rooted in Latin American culture. You join Miho, who, after helping his grandmother make soup, is transported to a vibrant realm populated by potato-stealing frogs and various quirky animals.

Sopa unfolds similar to an educational computer title from the 90s, as Miho tackles puzzles and aids the world's inhabitants by collecting an inventory of items. Though it's a bit unpolished, Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato is a sweet little game that proudly celebrates its love for the region's culture.

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure

Cocoon is set to leave Game Pass on Oct. 15, leaving only a few days to experience it via your membership — and you definitely should. Studio Geometric Interactive crafted one of the finest puzzle games of this generation in the 2023 release Cocoon. Its core puzzle mechanic revolves around transitioning among realms inside additional 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 natural manner, yet they will test you as well. 2023 was a massive period for video games, so it's no surprise if Cocoon was somewhat overlooked by the masses. Let's correct that while we can.