After a five-year break in communication, the enigmatic sci-fi game from Capcom, ‘Pragmata‘, has officially announced its release date. I had the privilege of trying it out at Summer Game Fest 2025, and I’m eagerly anticipating the day when others will experience it as well.
In a different world, Pragmata encounters Hugh Williams, who finds himself in a lunar settlement known as The Cradle following a severe quake that damaged his spacesuit. It appears that something catastrophic has befallen the inhabitants of The Cradle… however, despite the chilling silence and emptiness, he’s not on his own. A peculiar android resembling a child, named Diana, jolts him awake with a helmet tap, having mended his spacesuit, but peril quickly emerges.
Following their revival, Hugh and Diana find themselves under attack by sinister robots directed by the AI of the Cradle, known as IDUS. The strategy to vanquish these machines involves disabling their defense mechanisms. Here’s where Diana plays a crucial role.
Pragmata gameplay is so satisfying
With a joyful leap onto Hugh’s back, Diana manages to hack the robots. This enables Hugh to inflict substantial damage with his numerous guns that are available on the ship for looting. In order to overcome adversaries effectively, it’s essential first to hack them and then attack – a process that might seem straightforward at first glance.
The challenge arises when several adversaries appear simultaneously, leaving you in a tough spot where quick decision-making is necessary. You must prioritize which robot, drone, or mech to hack first amidst the continuous assaults from other enemies. This cycle of gameplay is immediately captivating.
Once you press L2 to initiate the hacking mini-game, your goal is to connect a specific number of nodes in one continuous line by using the X, O, Square, and Triangle buttons. These buttons correspond to their respective directions on the game controller.
After being hacked, Hugh gains the liberty to take down his adversaries. The firefight provides an instant gratification. However, auto-aim isn’t overly generous, so you’ll need to put in effort to hit your targets while simultaneously dodging attacks (although there is a lock-on feature available).
During the brief demonstration at Summer Game Fest, I had the chance to try out three different firearms. First up was the Grip Gun, similar to a regular pistol, it continually reloads ammo on its own. It’s worth noting that this one is the least powerful among the trio. Next was the Shockwave Gun, which functions like a shotgun and inflicts heavy damage, also pushing incoming enemies away. Lastly, I used the Stasis Net, a tool that temporarily freezes opponents in their tracks.
On their own, mastering hacking and gunplay is straightforward; it’s the art of juggling these tasks simultaneously that proves challenging. I picked up combat skills swiftly after my initial skirmishes. There’s nothing quite as fulfilling as executing a quick hack followed by obliterating a robot – and it’s even sweeter when you deftly avoid enemy fire trying to take you down at the same time.
An excruciating wait for the full game
During our play session, Hugh, Diana, and I ventured through the vacant corridors of The Cradle. Along the journey, we stumbled upon scattered messages from workers who’d gone missing at the station. Our objective is twofold: first, to reactivate The Cradle’s solar farm; second, to uncover the truth behind its people’s disappearance by resolving puzzles and enduring encounters along the way.
Regrettably, the demonstration fell a bit shy of reaching the initial boss fight. Despite being frustrating, it left me eagerly anticipating the chance to delve deeper into the gameplay.
Based on my observations so far, Pragmata appears to be an incredibly entertaining game. Visually, it’s breathtakingly beautiful. The Cradle is sleek, Hugh exudes badass vibes, and Diana is endearingly cute. Their humorous banter hints at promising character development later in the narrative, offering a fresh twist on the popular trope of the gruff hero with a child companion that’s prevalent in many single-player games today (similar to God of War or The Last of Us).
To put it simply, we’re eagerly anticipating playing more of Pragmata and are disappointed that its release isn’t until 2026. However, we trust Capcom to create something exceptional since they’ve been working on it for so long. Patience is a virtue, but oh, how we yearn for the game’s arrival!
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2025-06-11 18:19