Xbox Game Pass has introduced a multitude of games to us that we might not have checked out otherwise.
While Xbox doesn’t have much in the way of true console exclusives, it does have one ace in the hole that gives consumers a reason to seriously consider buying an Xbox Series X /S or Xbox One console, and that’s Xbox Game Pass. Xbox Game Pass is a digital subscription service that, for a monthly fee, allows subscribers to download the litany of games available and play them in their entirety. There’s also a higher tier of subscription, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, that includes Xbox Live Gold for online multiplayer, EA Access, and access to Xbox Cloud Gaming, allowing you to play Xbox titles on devices like smartphones and PC. The best thing about Xbox Game Pass, though, is that it’s exposed us to some fantastic games that we might otherwise never have batted an eyelid at. So many cool titles are present and accounted for, from popular blockbusters like Gears 5 and Forza Horizon 4 to indie darlings like Night in the Woods and Hollow Knight. We’ve asked the team about their favorite Xbox Game Pass discoveries – games that left a lasting impression and ones that we may never have checked out if it wasn’t for this excellent subscription service. Rhys Wood – Staff Writer Night in the Woods is a stunning indie game that really struck a chord when it was released in 2017, garnering a cult audience that praises the game’s narrative, characters and themes to this day. Set in the dreary American mining town of Possum Springs, Night in the Woods tells a deeply relatable tale of a group of twenty-somethings struggling to make something of themselves as the town around them slowly succumbs to neglect, economic collapse and (checks notes) supernatural entities abducting townsfolk seemingly at random. There’s so much to praise in Night of the Woods, from the dusk-soaked autumn hues of Possum Springs to the beautifully impactful soundtrack. Chiefly, though, it’s the game’s characters that are the biggest highlight. Mae Borowski is a delightfully erratic protagonist, but her friends Greg and Bea steal the show with excellent writing that runs the gamut from outright hilarious to deeply moving. While Outer Wilds has blasted off from Game Pass since it launched on the platform, the impression it left is unforgettable. You’re a spacefaring alien creature known as a Hearthian, and are tasked with pootling around your solar system in a spaceship so rickety that it would give Wallace and Gromit cause for concern. The universe is a beautiful, yet terrifying place in Outer Wilds. During my time with the game, I forgot to wear my space suit before leaving the ship, flew into the sun, got crushed by rising piles of sand and had my ship fall into a black hole countless times. Oh, and one time I accidentally unwrote the laws of physics, causing the abrupt undoing of all existence. That was a fun one. The big gimmick in Outer Wilds is time. Specifically, each run only lasts roughly 22 minutes, at which point you’re returned to your origin point to blast off into space all over again. That might sound tedious, but Outer Wilds incentivizes exploring different strands of mysteries on each run as they’re unlocked in your ship’s handy log. Outer Wilds plays out on a much, much smaller scale than a game like No Man’s Sky, with just a handful of planets to explore. However, each planet you visit is densely packed with mysteries to uncover, all culminating in a finale so utterly brilliant that it entirely justified the countless times I flew directly into the gaping maw of a giant space anglerfish. Burned out by Cyberpunk 2077? Still bummed about its underwhelming release? The Ascent might just be what you need to lift up your sci-fi spirits. The Ascent is hands down one of the most gorgeous looking games I’ve played on Xbox Series X. This dystopian, cyberpunk shooter is brimming with atmosphere, from the slick rain-soaked streets to the blinding neon shopfronts. The Ascent is one of those games where practically every location can make for a breathtaking screenshot. But The Ascent isn’t just a pretty face. As a shooter, the game still needs to nail the feeling of blasting at enemies and make it feel good throughout the game’s runtime. I’m happy to say that The Ascent does this job wonderfully, with each weapon type feeling and sounding utterly satisfying with each pull of the trigger.
