Spike Chunsoft's underrated Zero Escape duology comes to Xbox Game Pass today alongside two other games

Xbox Game Pass is a gift that keeps on giving. An ever-growing selection of games has made Microsoft's video game subscription service a must-have for any serious gamer. Today, March 22, 2022, three new games will be joining the expansive Xbox Game Pass lineup.

Two of these are quirky indie experiences. One is a pixel adventure through a supernatural school, while the other is a deck-building roguelite RPG. But it's the third that might appeal to many. Here's a look at each of them.

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Three new additions bolster the value of Xbox Game Pass

1) Kraken Academy

Developer Happy Broccoli Games' 2021 adventure is now on Game Pass. The surreal story-driven exploration game sees a young boy attend the titular Kraken School with his sister Nadia. It soon becomes apparent that there's more to it than meets the eye, as monster students and other occult entities mingle among the rest of the human crowd.

That won't make things easy for the protagonist. There are classes to attend, weird NPCs to engage with, and a sizable school environment to explore. Of course, there's also a mystery brewing in the background. The boy is handed a mysterious amulet by a Kraken to save the school and the world from a traitor lying low among the denizens of the supernatural academic institution.

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2) Tainted Grail: Conquest

Roguelites are getting more popular than ever, and Tainted Grail: Conquest is one of many. Based on the board game of the same label, Conquest is a roguelite RPG with turn-based combat and deck-building elements. The Wyrdness is a corruption that has taken over the land and must be stopped.

There are different classes to choose from, each with its advantages and flaws. Take Summoner, for example, who can call on monsters to aid them. However, they're not as adept as the Berserker for direct combat.

Exploration is done in real-time on a linear map with battles against hellish creatures relying on deck builds. There is also a Block system that allows tanking some damage, which is crucial to surviving the many brutal encounters.

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3) Zero Escape: The Nonary Games

Perhaps the most exciting of the bunch is Spike Chunsoft's cult classic Zero Escape: The Nonary Games. This is a remaster bundle of two escape-room thriller adventure games that originally launched in 2017.

The first Zero Escape is called Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (or 999in short). First released as a Nintendo DS exclusive in 2009, it follows young student Junpei, who has been kidnapped by a mysterious entity and brought aboard what looks to be a ship.

He soon comes across eight other victims and discovers that they have all been fitted with a wrist-bomb that will detonate unless the escape requirements are met. What follows is a gripping narrative that is filled with interesting puzzles to solve and shocking revelations to discover.

The sequel, Virtue's Last Reward, launched for the Nintendo 3DS in 2012. It follows the Nonary Games of the first game. But this time, a psychopathic rabbit AI called Zero III kidnaps a bunch of people, among which is the protagonist Sigma. In a similar fashion to the first adventure, the team must work together to overcome the challenges set up against them and escape the facility.

The remaster is the best way to experience these games as it features improved visuals and a timeline system that saves players' time, allowing them to jump between story branches to see other endings. Both games have several endings each, most of which are bad outside of a 'True Ending.'

Xbox players can finally experience these great games and more via Xbox Game Pass. Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is also available for purchase on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.