Overall Impression
Pragmata is a 3rd person action adventure shooter set in a sci-fi universe with a unique premise. Instead of just simply shooting enemies you need to hack them first. This means you’ll be dodging and moving while also hacking. Hacking allows you to disable AI enemy robots’ strong protective defenses to then be able to deal significant damage. The demo is fairly short with some tutorial sequences and then a boss encounter. Overall, it’s a small glimpse of the game that appears promising.
Target Audience
Gamers that enjoy a 3rd person action adventure set in a sci-fi universe with something different thrown into the mix may want to check this out upon full release. The gameplay of simultaneously shooting and hacking (mini puzzles) is something that we haven’t come across too often in a shooter. It’s a unique offering that if done right could appeal to fans that are looking for a bit more from an action game.
Gameplay
The core premise is a sci-fi shooter with a twist. The main protagonist also has an partner (android) that can hack enemies. By default most enemies have a strong defensive barrier that must be disabled before significant damage can be done. Most combat sequences will involve maneuvering or slowing/stopping enemies while you hack them. Hacking is accomplished via button presses that allow you to move along a grid to reach an end point. You can also pass through certain power up nodes. These nodes can affect the result of the hack by doing things such as boosting damage. Once hacked your attacks will deal significantly more damage. You repeat this process until the enemy is destroyed. The basic gameplay loop takes a bit of getting use to. There’s a lot going on, as prior to hacking the enemies are still moving towards you. However, you are given an array of weapons. For example, one weapon can temporarily hold enemies in place. Furthermore, the main protagonist is also equipped with thrusters allowing them to dodge, hover and slowly descend while falling. Altogether, the base combat system is unique and challenging.
Boss Encounter
The boss fight was fun and challenging. This is due to a combination of the boss mechanics and hacking. The first attempt can feel a bit overwhelming as you need to dodge and move while hacking. Once you get the hang of that, you’ll need to also find the bosses weakness. This feature in the encounter was really nice. Making the entire fight feel more like a puzzle. It took time to figure out the mechanics of the fight, but it wasn’t too overwhelming. Overall, it strikes a nice balance of introducing the player to what they need to do while also allowing room for mistakes.
Art & Design
The overall art and design is imaginative and quite well executed. The designs of the environment, enemies and protagonists are what you would expect in a sci-fi adventure, but they also feel different enough to stand on its own. It portrays of version of a sci-fi world that is quite plausible as seen in the astronaut type suit that the main protagonist wears. The use of neutral colors gives levels a very clean aesthetic that we see in a lot space and high tech environments that then allows pops of colours to really stand out. Overall, the aesthetic is quite striking thereby inviting players into this new world. There’s a very high quality finish as you would expect from a developer like Capcom.
Challenges
The demo is quite short so we only get a small glimpse of the actual game. Average run time may vary between 20-30 minutes with some potential restarts depending on how many times it takes you to defeat the boss. The combat is unique and the boss encounter is challenging. After completing the demo the question I had was: Is this enough? It will still come down how engaging the narrative is combined with the verdict on combat. We don’t get much regarding the narrative and in a demo that’s not necessarily a bad thing as you do want to keep major elements of the story a surprise. On the combat side, although it is a unique puzzle each time to hack an enemy, I don’t know if it’ll just feel tedious to hack every enemy or if it’ll be a fun and thrilling experience due to the added challenge. It really depends on how the combat builds through different encounters and enemy types and if it allows for strategic decision making. The core gameplay is interesting but I do think some evolution or further innovation will be needed throughout the campaign to keep players engaged along the entire campaign.
Closing Thoughts
Pragmata is a promising 3rd person shooter with a unique hacking mechanic. It presents challenging battles that unfold like puzzles. The main question is will the combat mechanic be enough to keep players intrigued throughout the campaign. For those who enjoy the setting, art design and core gameplay, this may be a title to keep on your watchlist.
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GAME DETAILS
PLATFORMS: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch 2
RELEASE: April 24, 2026
DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER: Capcom
GENRE/TAGS: Action Adventure, Third Person Shooter, Hacking, Puzzle, Sci-Fi
TARGET AUDIENCE: Gamers that enjoy a 3rdperson shooter with a unique offering set in a sci-fi universe.
IMAGE CREDIT: Capcom
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