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Sometimes, Capcom makes weird or unusual games! I’m talking about things even more unconventional than Mega Man Soccer. Like we’re talking Under the Skin sorts of weird with identity stealing or the Kabu Trader Shun stock market simulation game. While Pragmata is a third-person shooter, it also reminded me of those types of titles when I had the chance to play through a hands-on demo session. The puzzle-hacking element is unconventional and even odd, but starts to make sense after you get used to it.
Hugh awakes on a lunar research station completely alone, surrounded by hostile enemies, and hoping to make contact with people back on Earth. The only person there is Diana, an Android that looks like a young girl and seems to consider some of the artificial lifeforms and robots her friends. The catch is that these mechanical beings see the duo as a threat and tend to attack on sight, and Hugh’s guns alone aren’t strong enough to defeat them. So while there is the third-person shooter element, you need to regularly use Diana’s hacking ability to strengthen shots and apply buffs.
I got to play through an early snippet of Pragmata that felt like an opportunity to test out some of Diana’s in and out of battle hacking. The goal is to restore power to the station, and that means traversing some sections, using her ability to flip some switches to open a door, and facing a giant robot boss. While hacking to start the unlocking process, make platforms move, or reach areas is as easy as aiming in the right direction and pressing a button, the hacking for enemy fights is more involved.
Admittedly, that did take some getting adjusted to, though I found I was okay with it by the time I reached the boss. On the upper right side of the screen, there will be a 4×4 grid with elements to highlight in certain directions, perhaps a power-up or buff that Hugh collected when exploring the world, maybe a blockade or two, and a green power symbol. Your goal is to go through the lines in the right direction to trigger the damage bonuses and get to the power sign so Diana can help Hugh deal real damage. My biggest issue honestly came from remembering that this is tied to the ABXY buttons. My brain kept thinking, “I’m moving up, left, right, and down, so I should be using the directional pad!”
While this seems like a lot to consider, the hacking element with Diana in Pragmata takes so little time and offers such substantial bonuses that it begins to feel like second nature. You see an enemy? Quick go through the grid to power up while moving Hugh with the analog stick to evade any attacks. Once you get used to it, you could be through that in a few seconds. That carries over for a bit, and I found I’d head back to it when switching weapons or reloading to re-up the benefits. In the case of the boss fight, additional sub-weapons appeared around the area, so even taking advantage of Hugh moving to grab those while going through the hacking segment felt like a way of being efficient while preparing my next assault. Especially when it meant a defensive boost or allowing an attack to hit multiple foes instead of just one.
The area of Pragmata I got to sample did feel like more of a tutorial segment, so it is entirely possible that Diana’s hacking could feel more challenging or taxing. But in this early slice of the game, it didn’t feel invasive or annoying. It made sense in the moment. Plus the buffs that came from it really air with survivability. It’s weird, but perhaps in a good way! I look forward to seeing more so I can properly decide.
Pragmata will come to the Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on April 24, 2026, and a demo is available. A Diana amiibo will also be released.
