Pragmata Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, & PC)

A simple idea beautifully executed is all it takes to leave a lasting impression. What’s already understood and easy to get into ultimately makes for the best user experience. And well, add touch-ups and polish to ensure a seamless playthrough. And that’s really what Capcom has done with their latest new IP, Pragmata. Sure, the end result is unlike anything you’ve seen or played before. But the sum of its parts is absolutely ideas and formulas you’ve seen applied, within and outside Capcom’s walls. 

That panic, struggling to latch a closed door open when a monster is in hot pursuit. The locked door, mind you, requires solving a puzzle, and is the brittle tension Pragmata borrows for its main gimmick. Having to evade danger, while solving a puzzle, and only then, finally be able to unleash damaging attacks of your own. Two genre-independent ideas mashed together to create peak tension and moments that will stick with you long after you’ve turned in for the night. 

I reckon it’s clear this new Capcom IP is a must-play. But just to be certain, we’ve dug deep into all it has to offer in our Pragmata review below.

AI Gone Rogue

You’ve heard this one before. A routine travel to a near-future lunar base, where sci-fi technology has taken root and is powering day-to-day living. But something is amiss, and your crew hopes to get to the bottom of the new crisis. Only to arrive and quickly be hit with a cataclysmic event. A ‘moonquake’ in this instance that leaves you as the only survivor, and around you, deadly robots under the command of the lunar base’s AI gone rogue. 

With your spaceship wrecked and communication to Earth cut off, you’re forced to survive a foreign place and find a new way home. But Pragmata doesn’t bestow the heavy burden of survival all on your own. Soon, you meet a girl whose innocence shouldn’t fool you. She can hold her own pretty well, hacking into machines and the deadly robots you’re up against. You’ll most definitely need her help if you’re to survive, whether you like it or not. 

And so begins a symbiotic found family relationship, one in which you’re both benefiting in some way. Hugh Williams has a surprisingly easy time sliding into the fatherhood role. And that ease with which he plays around with the girl warms the heart and soul. 

Diana, in turn, whose real designation is D-I-0336-7, discovers the humane side of herself, despite being an android. And a lot of that evolution has to do with Hugh Williams’ adoration of her, even giving her the humane name ‘Diana.’

Beauty in the Humane

Interestingly, the source of the crisis at the lunar base is the rogue AI. And the aftermath of its destruction is not only told through story but through the environments, too. This is a progressive world, where 3D printing can create just about anything. And for the citizens who lived here, they modeled their new home after Earth, shown via a Times Square replica you explore. 

Only it’s a fractured Times Square, seeming real but ultimately revealing the cracks of its AI-generated assets through fractured geometry. It’s intentionally designed to expose the heavy leanings on generative AI lately, and how it might subdue the natural look and creativity of pure human creations. 

It’s never been Capcom’s place to go deeper into these heavy topics and discussions of current times. But in Pragmata, they sure do poke the bear, even if it’s subtly. It does provoke thought way more than initially expected from a Capcom franchise. And it’s made all the more effective by the heartwarming, developing bond between Hugh and Diana. How the two learn to depend and care for each other in a world crumbled. 

It’s a compelling story, indeed, which is surprising that it’s not at all Pragmata’s strongest gameplay element. 

In the Near Future

The audio-visual element of Pragmata ranks higher, perfectly nailing the near-future NASA-punk aesthetic of space. It feels both foreign and familiar, with sensible takes on technological innovation and fantastical ideas that are still fathomable. The world portrayed here isn’t far-fetched and feels impossible in the near future. Rather, a discomforting one at times. 

It’s a world that looks and feels good to explore. Even when mostly linear, you can’t help wanting to tread back for collectibles, but also for the simple joys of marveling at RE Engine’s pristine designs and detail. 

Sound also comes in with gusto, accompanying combat sections with DualSense’s ecstatic rumbling and the quieter moments at the shelter with Diana’s surround-sound footsteps. 

Juggling Act

Anyway, the strongest gist of the Pragmata experience is the combat, and not for the reasons you think. Sure, the guns are weighty and pack a punch. They are versatile enough to enjoy satisfying feedback and visual effects. You’ll unlock quite a lot, actually, switching up from ranged to close-ranged combat. You’ll not only unlock guns but also tools and utilities that aid offense and defense. 

Decoys, for instance, drones that release mini-robots. You have your primary weapons, but you’ll also unlock lots of attack units, tactical units, hacking nodes, and mods. And as you can imagine, these give you lots of freedom and playground to tinker around with different build combinations, eventually coming up with the best, focused build for your playstyle.

But hey, that’s barely the beating drum at Pragmata’s soul. It’s Diana piggyback-riding you, and hacking enemies’ armor in real-time. Lock onto an enemy, and a grid puzzle will come up that you need to quickly solve in real-time. It’s the only way to break down the heavily armored shields of the enemies you’ll run into. And the only way you can effectively kill them. If anything, one cannot work without the other: combat requires hacking/puzzle-solving to pull through.

Multi-Tasking

Yes, it’s absolutely confusing at first and won’t click instantly. When the grid puzzle pulls up next to your aim, and it’s almost distracting from the attacks still launched at you, FYI. You’re still having to evade danger and keep on the move while solving the puzzles, which can be a lot for single-minded folks like me.

And yet, Pragmata finds clever ways to gently usher you into its unique combat system. It gives you very simple grids at first, the kind you can solve in your sleep. Essentially a snake puzzle, where you use your controller’s face buttons to guide the cursor from the start point to the green node.

It gets more complex, of course, introducing obstacles you need to avoid. Or you might get blue nodes that you need to pass through to gain buffs like more health or damage. And honestly, I’m obsessed with the peak tension, especially. When you’re facing multiple deranged robots, and yet have to solve puzzles to beat them. The game won’t pause, so you can figure out the puzzle, either, adding a quick-thinking element to it. And it just feels so damn satisfying, especially when it all syncs and sings without pause. 

Try it for yourself is all I’ll leave it at.

Back at Base

It’s the little moments shared between Hugh and Diana that bring Pragmata full circle. Back at base, when Hugh is upgrading his weapons and restoring health, and Diana is mindlessly distracted by the Earthly toys lying about. How childlike she behaves, even if she’s an android, and the heartwarming effect it has on Hugh (and the player). Even little moments like Hugh teaching Diana how to high-five melt the soul.

Verdict

The concepts underlying Pragmata are so simple that it’s bewildering how they’ve combined to create such a beautiful and exceptional third-person action puzzle shooter. So many gaming genres in there that, don’t worry, never make the playthrough too complex or frustrating. 

Pragmata knows when to add new weapons and mechanics. It knows when to raise the bar, so dutifully and innovatively that your experience never plateaus. It’s an experience so good you’ll instantly jump into the post-game content, even if you’re retracing your steps to get all the collectibles, and marveling at the striking design and wonder of the game’s world. 

The story isn’t the most ‘out there.’ It has its familiar plot threads and can feel surface-level at times. But it still grabs your attention, especially with the heartwarming bond between Hugh and Diana. A father-daughter-like relationship so pure and earnest, where both do benefit from each other, yet still care for and protect each other. 

While I wrap this up, I realize that there really isn’t any con to speak of when it comes to completing Pragmata’s full playthrough. It’s simply perfect for daring to experiment and ensuring everything is squeaky clean by launch.