I’ll be honest-when Capcom first teased Pragmata back in 2020, I chalked it up as yet another splashy, big-budget sci-fi promise that would either dissolve into vaporware or quietly shift into “development hell.” Fast forward to Gamescom 2024, and after years of radio silence (plus a string of delay announcements), Pragmata finally emerged, playable and more intriguing than ever. If you’re tired of same-y space shooters and bland AAA slop, this is one of the few games in the pipeline that actually deserves your attention.
Pragmata’s premise-astronaut Hugh Williams marooned in a lunar research station with a childlike android, battling rogue AI—sounds like standard sci-fi boilerplate. But playing it? That’s where things get interesting. Most third-person shooters stop at “shoot, dodge, reload.” Pragmata flips the script with a hacking system that injects real-time puzzle mechanics into every firefight.
The moment-to-moment gunplay feels tight (reminded me a bit of Dead Space meets a tamer Vanquish), but the magic happens when Diana, your creepy-cute android companion, enables you to hack foes mid-combat. Suddenly the pressure shifts: a hacking grid pops up, and you’re furiously plugging in commands to disable or trash enemies. Some tiles on the grid add bonus effects—so it’s not just about being quick, but also smart. That split-second decision-making keeps every fight tense and satisfying, not just another shooting gallery.
This design shouldn’t work, but somehow it does. Remember when Vanquish injected that absurd dash and slow-mo system into cover shooters and blew open the genre’s possibilities? Pragmata could be that moment for tactical hacking hybrids. That’s a bold move, especially in a AAA space where risk is so often sanitized out of existence.
It’s worth recalling: Capcom’s last few attempts at futuristic shooters (remember Deep Down?) never survived beyond the hype cycle. Pragmata’s repeated delays stoked plenty of skepticism, and honestly, given how hard the studio leans into familiar IPs like Resident Evil and Monster Hunter, seeing them double down on something this odd feels almost rebellious. The studio’s not known for subtlety, but when they take a swing on fresh mechanics, things get interesting fast—think about what Vanquish did to Gears-likes, or how Dragon’s Dogma rethought open-world RPG combat.
Sure, some delays scream “development nightmare,” but playing the latest build at Gamescom, I got the opposite impression: Capcom is genuinely trying to thread the needle between spectacle and systemic depth, and the hacking minigame doesn’t feel tacked on—it’s the core appeal. I do wonder, though, how well this complex interplay will hold up over a full-length campaign. If it turns into gimmick fatigue after half a dozen levels, that’s going to sting.
Pragmata stands out for one simple reason: in a sea of interchangeable, “safe” sci-fi shooters, Capcom’s going weird. The hacking system demands you juggle twitch skills with spur-of-the-moment tactics, and that could be brilliant or a frustrating misfire. After hands-on time, my gut says they’re onto something—the gun feel is solid, movement is satisfyingly responsive, and the hybrid mechanics are more than a throwaway feature. But the lingering question is whether this combo can stay fun after ten hours, or if it’ll devolve into busywork.
I’m rooting for Pragmata to stick the landing. This industry desperately needs more AAA games willing to take real creative swings instead of just squeezing players with “live service” grind or half-baked sequel churn. If Capcom can land the pacing and ramp up the tactical variety, Pragmata might become the cult favorite the current gen’s been starving for.
After years of rumors and delays, Pragmata is back and we finally got to play it—and it’s weird, wild, and refreshingly unpredictable. If you’re hungry for something that’s more than just another third-person shooter, put Pragmata on your watchlist. But as with any risky AAA experiment, keep a wary eye out: this could be Capcom’s next cult hit… or a bold misfire.
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