PRAGMATA | REVIEW | PC/STEAM

''SPACE, THE FINAL FRONTIER''

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Developed: Capcom

Published: Capcom

Genre: Action Adventure

Release Date: April 16th, 2026

Platforms: PS5/Xbox Series/STEAM/NSW 2

Pragmata is the latest sci-fi adventure to hit the market and it is developed and published by Capcom. With Capcom being on a roll with recent successes like Resident Evil Requiem, Capcom decides to have a ''think outside the box'' moment and try something a little different here with Pragmata. However, was it a wise choice to experiment? or should they have played it safe to keep the streak going? Only one way to find out, so lets go!

''CLEANER THAN MODERN NEW YORK''

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GAMEPLAY:

Capcom has been all over the place so far in 2026, as far as genres and types of games go. Going from expansive R.P.G. titles like Monster Hunter Stories 3, to fighting with the release of Alex for Street Fighter 6, jumping into the horror department with Resident Evil 9 Requiem, getting some pew pew blaster action going with , Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection and then Mega Man Dual Override dropping later this year. Needless to say, they aren't afraid to expand and dip their toes into a variety of genres to see what sticks and what doesnt. Pragmata remains more of the same with Capcom now trying to flip the third person action shooter format on its head, which is a category of gaming that has been rather cookie cutter for a very long time if were going to be honest, and a genre where you'd rather see true innovation, because a lot of games in the modern era are just copy and paste of each other and they call it a day. However, Capcom with Pragmata attempts to use implementations of both hacking mechanics mixed with shooting mechanics during gameplay and combat to try to spice things up a bit in an attempt to create something unique, rather than same ol bland stuff that most people expect. By using both hacking and shooting during combat, Pragamta changes up the usual formula that fans of the third person shooting genre are used to and forces you as the player to think outside of the box of how to handle certain situations that would normally be straightforward, but now require a tad bit more planning to achieve outright victory. Starting off the game on a Moonbase where research takes place that is needed to be relayed back to the people of Earth, you play as Hugh, a specialist and man in charge of doing just that in regards to finding objects, researching them and again sending said data back to earth, simple enough right? Yeah, no, obviously it wont be that easy as we are soon going to head into some Bioshock Big Daddy and Little Sister scenario very soon, albeit, in a much less annoying way. Trust me, its not in typical rage inducing way where your partner feels more like a menace and a chore rather than help. Stupid Ashley. Man I'm really hating on old Resident Evil 4 lately, arent I? Guess I have more pent up rage and P.T.S.D. than I thought. Oh well, lets move on, you guys aren't my therapist.

Soon after arriving, things go horribly wrong. All he was sent here to do is scan stuff and send it back, like what the hell, even that cant go right? I mean at least its not some mutated biohazard getting loose or something worse, so that's a plus, but the situation is still not salvageable all alone by himself. In a time of panic, he has no choice but to team with a robot named Diana, who looks like a very small little girl, once again, giving you a bit of deja vu from your days with Bioshock 2 - only Diana isn't as creepy or demonic looking, so at least there's that. Diana looks adorable and it feels like you can sit here down in front of the T.V. with some Hello Kitty and it would keep her entertained for hours and hours. Honestly it would probably work like that for me too to be fair, so am I a robot too? or just immature? Ehh, I'm just going to say I'm a robot too in order to save my pride and ego. Dont be hatin. Because Diana is a robot, she is the sole reason why the Hacking mechanic becomes so vital as the gameplay unfolds further alongside the story because remember when I said its a good thing you aren't hunted down by Biohazard mutants like in a Resident Evil game or something? well that remains true, but just replace mutations with being hunted down by evil robots that try to murder you everywhere you turn. Good compromise right?. This is where the mechanics of the game truly come into play with Diana using her abilities to Hack the robots themselves, while you use Hugh for more traditional and powerful weaponry to finish each threat, and it makes combat and other situations feel very different than a typical third person shooter and offers you chances to implement strategies you normally wouldnt think of doing, all while navigating the Moon habitat that increases in threat and size of robots the further you proceed. They aren't exactly Godzilla sized automatons, but its still enough to freak you out. Story wise without any spoilers as I do not want to dive too deep into a lot of aspects of it since its a more personal experience rather than a deep narrative, the theme of the game stays condensed, linear and intimate in the sense that it focuses on the building relationship between Hugh and Diana and how it grows and changes over the course of your 12 to 15 hour trek across the Moon environment with the dynamic between the two becoming similar to a father and daughter pairing, which becomes a whole focal point in itself. While that may come off as a tad bit too Shonen for a lot of people who cringe at ''the power of love'' or something, I'll just say its definitely more heart warming than anything you're probably imagining right about now. Its definitely not a CARE BEAR stare moment of cheesiness, so rest easy my masculine viewers.

While the game moves at a pretty good pace and environment and scene changes become pretty awesome the further you proceed, early in the game however, its rather bland. I know, it might be a personal gripe and not everyone will agree with it, but still, the first 2 to 3 hours of the game for me, constantly seeing bland repeat textures because obviously its a space station, everything is going to look the same, like duh, but still, it gave me a sense of tedium and almost made me lose focus due to my immersion slipping away, however that soon changes as you get to traverse things like a holographic ocean beach and shore or New York City itself thanks to the use of Artificial Intelligence. Oh no, A.I., The Anti-A.I. crowd is definitely going to love that one right?. Hey Grok, since people hate A.I., are they gonna hate A.I. in this video game Pragmata too?. Ok Grok, I didn't need a full break down of the game, I just needed a yes or no answer. Stupid Grok. The game just opens up so much with its environment structure that it starts to become eye candy and makes you wonder if holographic tech of this nature can really be a thing in the future, I mean, if we live that long, because everytime I see the news I just feel like John Connor in Terminator 2, ''were not going to make it are we? humans I mean'', and wish we could get backdrops like these forests in Pragmata because that's where I'd like to actually live. Outside the varied environments you move through, obviously combat and battles take place, which offer close ranged scenarios where you must figure out every enemies weak points as all robots have their own unique exploits to find which may make you use different attacks, be more on the defensive and ultimately evaluate the way they fight so you can use Hugh and Diana for combination attacks that both utilize her Hacking and Hugh's more run of the mill shooting, while also obtaining upgrades that can stun or delay attacks from incoming enemies, further buying you time to figure out a strategy. The best part of the combat is that it feels less scripted and being able to freely dodge at fast speeds while shooting and combining and juggling in Hacking at the same time, forces you to make split second decisions that makes every encounter feel different and unique from one another with added challenge because of it. But again as stated previously, the game does follow a rather linear format story wise, with no real branching off like maybe some other Capcom titles, however even so, there are still mysteries to uncover like extra combat challenges to partake in, finding hidden rooms, some platforming sections - the only downside? the in game navigation system is pretty much total crap. Its never accurate and its extremely hard to tell what area's you've already been in or zones you've been in as the map system does not mark it for you, so you spend a lot of time playing the ol guessing game. I mean if I wanted to play the guessing game, I'll just go back to the 80's or 90's and play some GUESS WHO, I don't want to have to spend time confused while I'm trying to have fun. Bad Capcom, Bad. The father and daughter moments between Hugh and Diana helped calm me down though because it is rather wholesome as you go back and forth between shelter for upgrades, health upgrades, ammo, etc and by the time the game ends, you do feel like you've had both a unique and satisfying experience, even with your gripes.

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''HE JUST COULDNT...HACK IT''

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OVERALL:

At the end of the day, Pragmata overall, at least for me, felt like a breath of fresh air for the third person shooter genre. Obviously I have issues with it beyond my praises with stuff like terrible in game navigation system, early game feeling a tad bit tedious due to the lack environment scenery making it feel bland, or some annoying backtracking to restore health by returning to your shelter over and over, etc. But still, with fun and fast paced Hacking and Shooting combination combat, hidden rooms to find, amazing holographic backdrops, smart enemy variety, heartwarming story between Hugh and Diana for their relationship, a New Game Plus mode and tons of other challenge missions and training to take on, make Capcom's gamble at ''thinking outside of the box'' a winning bet and ultimately succeeding at what they were going for with giving the third person shooting genre a shot in the arm it's desperately needed for quite awhile now. So with all that having been said, my verdict is clear, GameNChick says BUY NOW.

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