Preview: Hands on with the PRAGMATA PC Version
Take a trip to the moon with the launch of PRAGMATA, which arrives on April 17th. Take a look at our first impressions from the PC version of the game ahead of release!
By Craig Bishop (Gamesplanet)
PRAGMATA Review copy was provided by Capcom for testing purposes, opinions are Gamesplanet's own and not representative of Capcom. Performance stated is in a pre-release build and may not reflect the final game.
Capcom prepares a voyage to the moon with the upcoming Sci-Fi Action Game PRAGMATA later this week on April 17th. Thanks to our friends at Capcom we've had hands on with over 12 hours of playtime. So how does their brand new IP fair? Let's find out!
To the Moon Diana
You play as Hugh, an Engineer who is sent to the Lunar Research Facility on the Moon alongside a team of specialists. Unfortunately for him, things go awry by a rogue AI (think HAL from 2001 A Space Odyssey) known as Idus. He meets Diana, a childlike android known as a "Pragmata", and the two form an unlikely bond as they work together to prevent Idus from creating havoc and find a way to return to Earth.
Idus will not make things easy though, as he takes over the facility's AI Robots and deploys them to eradicate the threat from the pair. By working together and upgrading your arsenal you'll be able to take down anything that stands in your way. Diana isn't just useful, she's essential. As a Pragmata, she has the ability to hack other machines, and in doing so opens up new opportunities for Hugh to use his weapons to deal extra damage.
Players will travel between various zones on the Research Facility, with each one having distinct styles to them. Everything was created thanks to Luna Filament, a near-limitless, adaptive material that makes it possible to replicate anything as long as there is data available. Each zone is broken up into "sub zones" and by exploring you'll find various upgrades, cosmetics and more. You can even find challenge areas that offer tougher fights for greater rewards. By collecting resources you'll be able to upgrade your Weapons, Hacking Abilities and more at the Shelter - a base you can take a break in-between and use the Tram to travel around the facility at any point. Upgrade it to unlock even more facilities, such as a training room that allows you to tackle virtual missions for rewards or being able to change your suit.
Diana can even use the shelter to learn more about Earth and grow a bond with Hugh, and may even have a few surprises for you.
I ain't afraid of no AI
Of course Idus won't make things easy for you, and there's plenty of rogue bots that stand between Hugh and Diana trying to get back to Earth. These range from small robots, to large bosses. Diana will be able to hack each enemy with "nodes" that may allow her to freeze enemies, inflict greater damage or even hack multiple enemies at once. Learning how each type of enemy behaves will be crucial in survival. Thankfully you don't just have Diana's abilities as you come across various weapons (all of which can be upgraded at the shelter), such as a shotgun, beam weapons, homing rockets and much more. You can also find mods in the world that further enhance Hugh and Diana's skills. Players will want to use the skills that best suit their playstyle. For example you may want to focus on a range set of skills, or maybe you want to be up close with extra damage for close range foes. Luckily you're not locked in to a choice as you can choose mods/weapons by swapping them at any time in the shelter, so it pays to try different combinations!
The game isn't all combat though, there's puzzles in the game, exploration and hidden things to uncover. Maybe you'll unlock a special ability later in the game that you can use in earlier areas to find new things. While it's not a metroidvania, it's definitely got some exploration backed in and you'll want to come back to places to find things you missed.
Final Impressions
I came into PRAGMATA expecting a fun shooter experience, but what I didn't expect was the emotion that came with it. While not going into spoilers, Diana and Hugh's relationship is one of the most enjoyable things I've witnessed in the game to the point where you actually care about Androids. Having spent 12 hours in the game at time of writing it was not enough to see the last bits of the game, but I imagine you could at least 15-20 hours out of the game at least, not sure if there's any post-game stuff or anything to do after the credits roll but I am there for every single step of the journey and will definitely finish this. Resident Evil Requiem may have started the year, but Capcom still have some crackers left for 2026 and PRAGMATA is one of them.
Being a new IP that's had a few delays I was a bit worried, but this is a series I hope gets an audience for as I genuinely love the world Capcom has created. I would go as far to say it looks incredible well. Especially if you have the hardware to take advantage of the RE Engine's features such as DLSS, Path Tracing and more. While I decided -not- to show any screens (mostly for embargo) the game is beautiful and both character models and world design are impressive.
For anyone who is looking for an action game with a new spin on combat, I would recommend PRAGMATA. Once you get the basics of the hacking and learning each enemies moves, it becomes satisfying as you use Diana's abilities to do extra damage. Plus there's quite a few weapons in the game for you to unlock and find the playstyle that suits your needs. I personally use the shotgun weapon and a "Riot Gun" that knocks enemies down - but that's just 2 of many weapons.
It may not set the world on fire, but it's a very enjoyable Sci-Fi Action game and I would love to see a follow up to this in the future. Now if you'll excuse me I have to finish the game and get back to Earth.
How about Steam Deck?
Unfortunately due to my limited time with the game I was unable to check out performance, but there's a demo and various videos have been published showing the game running - albeit with some sacrifices to performance and quality (as you'd expect). It being another RE Engine game, if you have played other titles from Capcom you should expect similar performance. But as I said there is a demo though, so I would suggest using that as a test bed to see how it runs for you on the Steam Deck (or any handheld device).
Pre-order PRAGMATA on Gamesplanet for Bonuses
PRAGMATA launches April 17th, and you can pre-order the game on Gamesplanet to save 10% off and get your Steam key right now. Anyone who pre-orders before release will also get two exclusive Sengoku-style costumes for Hugh and Diana: Neo Bushido and Neo Kunoichi.
