When Xbox Game Pass launched in June 2017, much of the public was unsure whether the service would truly be worth the price of admission every month. Microsoft promised a lot, but thankfully those promises held true. Almost six years later, Xbox Game Pass has become the best deal in gaming with over 100 excellent titles cycling in-and-out of availability just one price.
One of Xbox Game Pass' greatest strengths is its breadth of content. Not only can subscribers pick up beloved third-party titles, but also first-party exclusives, backward-compatible classics, and a range of hidden indie gems. In April 2023, Xbox Game Pass is set to receive another day-one indie release that really highlights where the subscription service shines.
The Last Case of Benedict Fox Shows Xbox Game Pass' Strengths
A Lovecraftian metroidvania, The Last Case of Benedict Fox is heading to Xbox Game Pass day-one on April 28, 2023. Set on a 2D plane, The Last Case of Benedict Fox oozes with visual flair. The color purple dominates its backdrops while a range of stylized Lovecraftian monsters and tentacles wrap themselves around the environment. Gameplay-wise, The Last Case of Benedict Fox is a metroidvania with detective elements sprinkled in for good measure, meaning players will be hacking and slashing, dodging, parrying, and shooting their way through rooms filled with demons.
The Last Case of Benedict Fox was first announced during Xbox's June 2022 showcase, and it was immediately clear that the indie title would end up being one of 2023's most unique games, at least from a visual standpoint. Thus, The Last Case of Benedict Fox coming to Xbox Game Pass day-one is a win for all parties involved. Subscribers get to play the game for no additional cost, and developer Plot Twist is likely to reach audiences that it never would have without the service's wide reach. For Microsoft, the inclusion of yet another day-one console exclusive for the platform proves Xbox Game Pass' worth yet again.
The Last Case of Benedict Fox is just the latest example of where Xbox Game Pass shines. While Xbox Game Pass' biggest draw is undoubtedly its first-party exclusives landing day-one on the platform, they don't come around all too often. Between first-party releases, Xbox Game Pass relies on exciting new indie titles and returning classics to bridge the gap, and it seems to work quite well.
Last year saw a number of popular indie games hit Xbox Game Pass day-one, and while not all of them were Game of the Year contendors, they all bolstered Game Pass' value. Titles like Scorn, Escape Academy, Trek to Yomi, and Nobody Saves the World all made their debut on Xbox Game Pass in 2022, and all of them acted as consistent reminders why subscribers drop cash every month on Game Pass. The Last Case of Benedict Fox will be one of the next big examples of this. With Arkane's Redfall running into pre-release issues and Bethesda's Starfield still a ways off, The Last Case of Benedict Fox is one of the next Game Pass day-one releases that will hopefully remind players why the subscription is worthwhile. Xbox Game Pass needs indie games just as much as they need Game Pass.