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Following Microsoft's recent news of Game Pass membership changes, including a cost hike for the top tier to $thirty monthly, many members are seeking fresh methods to get the most from their membership. For those keeping their subscription or thinking about joining, here are this week's recommendations.

Our selected games include a beloved JRPG, a delightful independent journey, and a brilliant puzzle game set to depart from the service soon.

Persona 4: The Golden Edition

One of the best ways to maximize value from your subscription is by immersing yourself in a lengthy, engaging RPG — and Persona 4: The Golden Edition fits that bill exactly. You take on the role of a teenager who has just moved to the quiet rural town of Inaba. During the day, your objectives involve making friendships, working employment, and managing schoolwork. By night, you investigate a disturbing string of murders by exploring strange dungeons themed around your companions' inner fears.

With a unforgettable group of heroes, tactical turn-based combat, flawless visuals, and a storyline packed with surprises, Persona 4: The Golden Edition is considered a masterpiece for many reasons. It also boasts a incredibly engrossing gameplay loop that will have you playing past bedtime, night after night.

Sopa - Tale of the Stolen Potato

Although major titles like Ninja Gaiden IV are a key selling point for the service, the subscription also showcases lesser-known games. A great instance of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Drawing from Spirited Away, this enchanting independent game is a fantasy tale steeped in South American culture. You join Miho, who, after assisting his grandmother make soup, is transported to a colorful world populated by potato-nabbing frogs and various eccentric animals.

Sopa plays out similar to an learning-focused PC game from the 1990s, as Miho tackles puzzles and helps the world's inhabitants by collecting an inventory of objects. Though it's a little rough around the edges, Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato is a sweet little game that openly celebrates its appreciation for the region's culture.

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure is set to exit Game Pass on October 15, giving you only a few days to experience it via subscription — and you absolutely must. Studio Geometric Interactive designed one of the best puzzle games of this generation in the 2023 release Cocoon. Its core puzzle mechanic focuses on transitioning among worlds inside additional dimensions, and often you'll carry those realms, in the form of colorful orbs, alongside you.

Although it doesn't have direct guidance, everything about Cocoon's challenges is built in a very intuitive way, yet they will test you as well. 2023 was a massive year for games, so it's understandable if Cocoon was somewhat missed by many players. We should correct that now.