Another great game from Capcom!
By Ameer Ammar
PRAGMATA is the latest new IP from Capcom, announced all the way back in 2020, its crazy to think how long it took since then for the release. But it was absolutely worth it as I think this is another fantastic new IP that will likely run for many years to come by Capcom.
Pragmata is a very gameplay-centric, it is a third person shooter with a unique twist involving your companion Diana, where you are basically playing two games at once, all the time. When you shoot an enemy, it doesn't damage them until you do a hacking mini-game as Diana. While this sounds complex and overwhelming at first, this gameplay loop is frankly addicting and super satisfying as you juggle dodging, aiming, shooting and hacking all at the same time. There's a real sense of rhythm to the combat and its a genuinely innovative take on what could have otherwise been just another third person shooter. As you get through the story, some of the hacking minigames start to feel genuinely overwhelming as you try to balance that while dodging a horde of enemies, it kept me on my toes for pretty much the entire game. There's a lot of customization as well with different mods and loadouts that you can really personalize a build focused on specific aspects, for example, I was very aggressive in hacking so I made sure to upgrade that and use mods that enhance hacking in specific, doing massive damage everytime. this variety in builds is not something I expected from Pragmata but it is definitely welcome.
Levels in Pragmata are open and can be revisited after completion, there's a ton of collectibles and secret rooms to explore and clear out. It is very Resident Evil in the way stuff is laid out, which I really love. You can tell the designers who worked on this have a background in that franchise. But Pragmata isn't a horror game, the general tone is more of a fun sci-fi adventure rather than anything creepy. But the robot designs here can be quite unnerving and they do have a genuinely creepy vibe, especially towards the end when more corrupted forms of enemies start to appear. I did wish there was more variety in the aesthetics, while each level does have a unique element, its very often that you are in similar looking white lab hallways. I would've loved more encounters on the surface of the Moon, or more city landscapes like the amazing New York level.
Pragmata's story is mainly about the bond between Hugh, an engineer sent to investigate what went wrong at DELPHI's moon base, and Diana, the child android that he comes across. It is a really heartfelt journey with a ton of soul and a loving message about the value of adopted families. Hugh himself is really likeable right from the beginning as he really is just some guy, and not a trained hero or soldier. As the story progressed, I found myself really caring for this duo and I absolutely loved where the story went and how it concluded, especially the ending which I thought was absolutely brilliant in its scale and overall message.
One issue with Pragmata is the length, I explored almost everything in my playthrough and ended with about 9 hours played. You can definitely stretch this out to about 20 or so hours if you go for the platinum but Pragmata is absolutely a short game. So it is important to know what you're getting here, however, each of those 9 hours felt studied to near perfection in terms of pacing, very similar to Resident Evil Requiem.
Graphically, I played Pragmata on the PS5 Pro, and at upscaled 4K 60FPS, the visual experience was flawless. the game is gorgeous, runs perfectly and honestly, its fair to say the RE Engine has become a beast for linear games like this at this point.
FINAL VERDICT:
Overall, Pragmata is a blast to play with a truly heartfelt story that feels like the start of a new, unique and innovative franchise that we will likely see many games come out of. I really enjoyed this game a ton and while I had flaws with repetitive environments and the game being a bit too short, these don't detract from the overall experience.
PRAGMATA - 8.5/10 - BUY
Special thanks to Capcom for providing a review copy.