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Following Microsoft's latest announcement of Xbox Game Pass subscription updates, including a cost hike for the top tier to $30 per month, numerous members are looking for fresh ways to get the most from their subscription. If you holding onto their membership or thinking about signing up, here are this week's recommendations.

This weekend's titles include a acclaimed JRPG, a delightful indie journey, and a brilliant puzzle game set to leave the service shortly.

Persona 4 Golden

Among the best methods to maximize value from your subscription is by diving into a lengthy, engaging role-playing game — and Persona 4 Golden matches that bill exactly. Players step into the part of a high school student who has relocated to the quiet rural town of Inaba. During the day, your objectives include making new friends, working employment, and keeping up with studies. At night, you investigate a chilling string of murders by exploring unique locations themed around your friends' deepest insecurities.

With a unforgettable cast of characters, strategic battle system, flawless art design, and a plot full of twists, Persona 4: The Golden Edition is regarded as a classic for many reasons. It also boasts a highly engrossing cycle that will have you playing past bedtime, repeatedly.

Sopa - Tale of the Stolen Potato

While big titles like Ninja Gaiden IV are a key selling point for Game Pass, the platform also highlights lesser-known games. A great example of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Drawing from Spirited Away, this charming independent game is a fantasy tale steeped in Latin American traditions. You follow Miho, who, after helping his grandmother make soup, is pulled into a colorful world filled with potato-nabbing frogs and other eccentric creatures.

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato plays out similar to an educational computer title from the 90s, as Miho tackles puzzles and helps the realm's inhabitants by gathering an inventory of objects. Even if it's a bit unpolished, Sopa is a heartwarming small experience that proudly celebrates its love for the region's culture.

Cocoon

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure is set to leave Game Pass on Oct. 15, leaving only a few days to play it via your membership — and you definitely must. Developer the creators crafted one of the finest puzzlers of this generation in 2023's Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure. Its core puzzle mechanic revolves around moving between worlds inside other worlds, and often you'll transport those realms, in the shape of colorful orbs, with you.

Although it lacks explicit guidance, everything about Cocoon's challenges is designed in a highly natural way, yet they will challenge you as well. 2023 was a massive period for video games, so it's no surprise if Cocoon was a bit overlooked by many players. Let's rectify that now.