Three Game Pass Games We're Playing This Weekend (Oct. 10-12)
After Microsoft's recent news of Xbox Game Pass membership changes, including a price increase for the Ultimate Tier to $30 monthly, numerous members are looking for new ways to maximize their membership. For those holding onto their membership or thinking about joining, we present our latest picks.
This weekend's titles include a acclaimed JRPG, a charming independent journey, and a superb puzzle game scheduled to leave the service soon.
Persona 4: The Golden Edition
One of the top ways to get your money's worth from your subscription is by immersing yourself in a lengthy, captivating role-playing game — and Persona 4: The Golden Edition fits that bill exactly. Players take on the part of a teenager who has just moved to the quiet countryside of Inaba. During the day, your goals include making friendships, working employment, and managing schoolwork. At night, you work to solve a chilling serial murder case by exploring unique locations themed around your companions' inner fears.
With a unforgettable cast of characters, strategic turn-based combat, flawless art design, and a storyline full of twists, Persona 4 Golden is considered a classic for good reason. It also boasts a highly engrossing cycle that will keep you up late into the night, repeatedly.
Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato
While major releases like Ninja Gaiden 4 are a key selling point for the service, the platform also showcases smaller indie gems. A perfect instance of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Drawing from the animated classic, this charming independent adventure is a fantasy journey rooted in Latin American traditions. You follow Miho, who, after assisting his grandmother prepare soup, is pulled into a vibrant world populated by potato-nabbing frogs and other eccentric animals.
Sopa plays out like an educational PC game from the 1990s, as Miho tackles puzzles and helps the realm's residents by gathering an assortment of objects. Though it's a bit rough around the edges, Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato is a sweet little game that openly celebrates its love for South America.
Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure
Cocoon is set to leave Game Pass on Oct. 15, giving you only a short time to play it via subscription — and you definitely should. Studio Geometric Interactive crafted one of the best puzzlers of recent years in 2023's Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure. Its core puzzle mechanic focuses on transitioning among realms within other dimensions, and often you'll transport those worlds, in the shape of colorful orbs, with you.
While it doesn't have direct instructions, everything about Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure's puzzles is designed in a highly intuitive way, though they can test you as well. The year 2023 proved a massive period for games, so it's understandable if Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure was a bit overlooked by the masses. Let's rectify that now.
