Yesterday, Microsoft announced and released two new games onto their Xbox Game Pass service. The first is indie pinball Metroidvania mashupYoku’s Island Express. The second is not a full game, but the third episode ofLife is Strange 2,the preceding two of which are also on Game Pass.
Microsoft’s games subscription service is quite prolific, adding new games multiple times per month.Game Pass added three new gamesjust over a week ago, and yesterday added these additional two for the month of August.
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Yoku’s Island Expresswas released in 2018 and developed by Swedish studio Villa Gorilla.Yoku’s Island Expressis a Metroid inspired action adventure game that was met with critical acclaim for its pinball inspired twist on how to move and navigate the world. It also has a refreshing, cheerful style.
DONTNOD Entertainment’sLife is Strange 2follows the same episodic structure of the original game and its prequelBefore the Storm, both of which are great coming-of-age romances. The sequel chooses not to continue the story of Max and Chloe and instead follows latino brothers Daniel and Sean as they are forced to run away from home. The first episode launched in September 2018, with Episode 3 releasing first in May, and the fourth episode scheduled for release on August 22. Typically, each episode ofLife is Strange 2has come to Game Pass a few months after its initial release.
At first it seemed like both games would be coming to console and PC Game Pass, but a correction issued on the Xbox Game Pass official Twitter confirmed onlyYoku’s Island Expressis getting a release for the PC service for the time being.
Microsoft has done their most to get as many games in the hands of players over the past couple years. The value of Game Pass in addition toMicrosoft’s attempts at making game consoles more accessible with payment plansshows a company committed to gaining good faith in order to prepare for the next console cycle. The addition of Game Pass Ultimate shows Microsoft preparing for a world where making the most powerful console is just as important as a competitive subscription and streaming service.
