During our trip to Summer Game Fest 2025, I got to spend 20 minutes hands-on with Pragmata, and not only is it shocking that the game still exists, but I think it might be really good.
Pragmata was originally announced back in 2020 at a State of Play, with a release date of 2022. Here we are, 5 years later, and the game has finally resurfaced with a target of 2026. Newly added is a focus on generative AI, something that was but a twinkle in 2020’s eyes. I got to play round 20 minutes on a PS5 Pro in a behind-closed-doors session.
Our demo started with the spacesuit-wearing protagonist being woken up by a young-looking Android girl. You’re in a station on the moon, beat up, and everything is going wrong. The automated defense systems see you as an intruder and start chucking armored robots at you.
Thankfully, the little android lady can hack them on the fly, opening up their juicy robo-bits. To do this, you’ll need to aim at an enemy and then complete a fairly simple grid-based puzzle. Multiple bonuses in each hack slickly show up as a hologram over the enemy’s shoulder. Hit them all and you’ll do more damage, have them be hacked for longer, and seemingly more as the game progresses.
Movement was heavy, aiming felt good, but also more deliberate. There was no twitch movement or emphasis on speed. Pragmata is more Dead Space (in multiple ways) than it is Call of Duty. As you are on the moon, your jetpacks can help you hover and dash. Environmental puzzle, like laser grids, focused on managing the short period during which you can hover.
Other puzzles matched the gameplay, focusing on hacking targets with the grid-based system. The UI was easy to read while being aesthetically pleasing. I never felt overwhelmed with all the information I needed to keep hold of. You have an unlimited ammo pistol with six shots that slowly regenerates ammo over time. A powerful energy shotgun and a net gun took up my other weapon slots.
They need to be found in the environment and could only hold a few shots each. Combining them with the hacking mini-game was the main combat dance. Hitting one robot with the net as I quickly hacked another and shotgunned his CPU to bits was immediately satisfying.
Twenty minutes only gave a fleeting impression of what the game can be. Playing Pragmata five years after first seeing it was surreal. Not only for the fact that it exists, but that I had so much fun while doing so.
This is one of three Capcom previews I did, you can also check out:
Onimusha: Way of the Sword Impressions & Resident Evil Requiem Impressions
