Capcom's been on a tear recently, thanks to several excellent sequels, remakes, and new IPs released across many genres and platforms. Still, I was initially on the fence about the long-gestating Pragmata ($59.99, reviewed on PlayStation 5 Pro; also available on PC, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series consoles), a title with a unique "hack-and-shoot" gimmick. But how do I feel about it after 15 hours under my belt? I love it. Pragmata is an excellent sci-fi shooter with an old-school feel that recalls classics like P.N.03 and Vanquish. For its tight gameplay and emotional narrative, Pragmata is yet another feather in Capcom's illustrious cap, earning our Editors' Choice award.

What Kind of Game Is Pragmata?

Pragmata puts you in the space suit of one Hugh Williams. Arriving on a routine mission to an unresponsive space station situated on the moon, a moonquake (what else would you call an earthquake on the moon?) sends the space station into disarray. Hugh is wounded in a fall but is treated by Diana, a mysterious little girl who is an android with immense hacking capabilities. When they discover that the onboard AI named IDUS is not so pleased with Hugh’s arrival, they must work together to fight through the hordes of evil bots and find a way to contact Earth.

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What sets Pragmata apart from your average third-person shooter is that you must learn to hack as well as shoot. Combat is broken into two parts: Locking onto an enemy to initiate a hack, which is essentially a quick game of Snake, controlled by the controller’s face buttons. If the hack is successful, the enemy will crack open like a clam, revealing its glowing weak points for Hugh to shoot. The kicker is that this is all happening in real time: There’s no cinematic slowdown, no dramatic pause, so you have to still dodge incoming enemy attacks while navigating the hacking puzzle.

At first, it feels like you're doing several unrelated things at once. Against one enemy, things are simple enough, but once multiple enemies are introduced, each with their own attack patterns, things get pretty hectic, pretty fast. There’s certainly a learning curve at first, which led to some clunky encounters in those early hours of the game. But once it clicks, the process becomes second nature.

An Old-School Soul With New-School Mechanics

For millennials who grew up with the Xbox 360, Pragmata's graphics and fast-paced robot combat make the game feel like a long-lost Clover Studio or PlatinumGames project. I immediately thought of flashy, experimental games like Vanquish and P.N.03; titles with stylish visuals and interesting gameplay loops that may not always work to their advantage. Pragmata's beat-by-beat gameplay, on the other hand, feels so finely tuned, and it always seems to find the right moment to introduce something new, whether it’s a new weapon or a new enemy. In the simplest terms, Pragmata just feels good to play.

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I must admit, after two hands on previews, I was still not sold on whether Pragmata's gameplay loop could carry it through its 10-hour run time. Thankfully, the longer I played, the more I found that Pragmata is hardly a shallow kiddie pool, but instead offers a deep well of depth for me to sink into. Pragmata controls like a dream, making every dodge, dip, and dive feel well-earned. You can feel the weight of Hugh’s space suit, but you never feel weighed down by it. Gunplay is equally enjoyable, thanks to a large arsenal of weapons that feels distinct and impactful. I especially love hacking a bot open to blast it point-blank with a shotgun, or charging up a plasma rifle to blast a floating bot.

It’s not perfect, however. Sometimes Diana’s hacking can prove inconsistent when dealing with a large number of enemies, locking onto enemies already hacked when you mean to lock onto another unhacked enemy. Enemy variety is limited, but at least they're distinct from one another. Boss fights are spectacular, screen-filling events, but they’re not very difficult at all, at least on Standard difficulty.

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But Pragmata’s hacking hook is the game's driving mechanic. In addition to breaking down enemy defenses, Diana’s hacking ability is also used to open doors and solve puzzles, most of which are not really complicated. But what Pragmata lacks in clever puzzle solving, it makes up for in its tightly designed, collectible-filled levels. They're not quite Metroidvania in design, but there is incentive to come back through them when you've unlocked new abilities—though, like the puzzles and boss fights, grabbing all of the areas' collectibles is incredibly easy, with little to no challenge at all.

Pragmata's setting is distinctly inorganic, but the scattered data pads provide a glimpse of the humanity that once tried to call the space station home. Yes, the game is incredibly linear, but the space station’s densely detailed locales, including a 3D printed recreation of Times Square, are visually outstanding.

It definitely feels like Capcom is flexing the muscle of its in-house RE engine, which has powered every Capcom release since Resident Evil 7. It looks excellent on the PlayStation 5 Pro, even with some slight imperfections here and there. Diana’s hair, for instance, can sometimes get noticeably blurry, likely a byproduct of AI upscaling.

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Sometimes Simple is Best

In between areas, players can explore The Shelter, a home base of sorts where both Hugh and Diana can upgrade their abilities and take on additional trials. What I like about Pragmata is that you can feel each upgrade you purchase and how it affects your gameplay, so you must think carefully about which upgrades to buy and when. There's a good amount of offensive and defensive weapons for Hugh to choose from, and the game has tons of customization options by way of mods, which can attach to Hugh's suit and offer additional passive abilities that increase health and damage. Hacks can also be improved by investing in nodes, which can be triggered during a hack to deal additional damage and apply modifiers.

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But what I like most about The Shelter is how you can just vibe out. These moments of respite remind me of games like Stellar Blade and Nier Automata, which have their own moments of stillness that let players spend personal time with the characters and help them feel more real. During these moments, you can take time to speak to Diana, give her gifts, and even play with her. The dynamic between Diana and Hugh is adorable. Those who might’ve been worried the narrative would bend into “sad dad territory” like The Last of Us or God of War: Ragnarok have nothing to worry about here. Hugh is a total girl dad, and the rapport between the two is disarmingly charming. 

Likewise, Diana is a curious child, constantly asking questions about Hugh’s life on Earth. Her mannerisms are also just as cute. When you present her with a gift, she giggles and jumps for joy, and when you offer her an upgrade, she’ll chomp down on the memory chip like a cookie, absorbing its data. In over 15 hours of playtime, I never found Diana annoying.

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Although I can’t get into the narrative without delving into spoilers, Pragmata’s story is simple, which is much to the game’s benefit. While motivations are uncomplicated, it’s that simplicity that makes Pragmata’s emotional beats hit even harder. Pragmata is pleasantly positive. Hugh is just, simply put, a good person. In talks between him and Diana, we learn that he was adopted, but his parents supported everything he did and loved him unconditionally. He, in turn, offers Diana the same unconditional love and support. The simple story keeps the game focused on Hugh and Diana’s relationship and the ever-evolving hack-and-shoot gameplay.

(Credit: Capcom/PCMag)