Pragmata: Capcom Revolutionizes Sci-Fi Action with Real-Time Hacking

During a closed-door event organized by Capcom, we had the opportunity to try a playable demo of Pragmata, Capcom's new action-adventure title, set in a lunar research station overrun by hostile artificial intelligence. Unfortunately, we were only able to test the beginning of the adventure up to the first boss, but it was enough for us to understand the depth of gameplay, narrative, and game mechanics of a title that promises to be a breath of fresh air in the video game landscape.

The demo begins with Hugh, an astronaut injured due to a lunar earthquake, who finds himself in an abandoned research station. Here he meets Diana, a mysterious android who saves him and accompanies him on his journey. The plot suggests a symbiotic collaboration between the two protagonists, with Hugh facing physical danger and Diana using her abilities to solve puzzles and support Hugh in combat.

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The demo takes place in a lunar research station, a richly detailed environment that fully utilizes the graphical capabilities of the PlayStation 5. The station, once controlled by the Delphi Corporation, is now dominated by hostile artificial intelligence and active robots. The setting is characterized by a futuristic design and a color palette that evokes the idea of a technologically advanced but now abandoned world.

Pragmata Gameplay: Real-Time Combat and Hacking

Pragmata's gameplay stands out for its combination of third-person action and hacking mechanics. During the demo, we saw Hugh equipped with an exoskeleton that allows him to jump and float thanks to a jetpack, which enables him (if used skillfully) to reach seemingly inaccessible platforms. Combat requires a good deal of strategy, as conventional weapons (simply the pistol you start with) are not enough against AI-controlled robotic enemies with resistant armor. For the tougher ones, it will be necessary to find more powerful weapons scattered throughout the levels, which will obviously have limited ammunition, often fewer than 10 shots (at least, the ones we saw).

But sometimes these will not be enough for particular enemies, so to take them down, Diana must perform real-time hacking, disabling enemy defenses and making weak points vulnerable, in order to damage and eliminate the enemy. Hacking is integrated into combat through real-time puzzle-type mini-games (thus very quickly), where Diana must quickly solve some puzzles to disable enemies, while Hugh must defend her and manage surrounding threats.

This mechanic adds a strategic dimension to the gameplay, requiring the player to coordinate the actions of the two protagonists in real-time, even if during combat it is actually the player who takes control of Diana, leaving Hugh at the mercy of enemies, so the ideal before starting the hacking is to be relatively far from enemies (especially bosses) and do everything VERY quickly.

The combination of real-time combat and hacking offers a frantic experience, where battles require careful planning, as each enemy has specific weak points that must be exposed through hacking. This mechanic adds depth to the gameplay, making every encounter a challenge that requires coordination and timing.

Puzzles and Exploration Merge for an Innovative Experience

In addition to combat, the demo features elements of exploration and puzzle-solving. Hugh can use his jetpack to navigate through complex environments (not for long, however, as the thruster energy depletes quite quickly, although there will probably be upgrades in the game to extend the duration), while Diana can interact with electronic devices to unlock

new areas, checkpoints, or gain strategic advantages. One of these is overdrive, which can be activated when the hacker indicator is full and stuns all enemies within its range of action.

The Pragmata demo showcased a well-designed game, with innovative gameplay mechanics and an intriguing narrative. The combination of tactical combat and real-time hacking offers a fresh and stimulating gaming experience. The lunar setting and well-characterized characters add depth to the story, while exploration and puzzle-solving elements enrich the gameplay. Despite some initial challenges, the demo left a strong positive impression, generating great curiosity for the full game scheduled for 2026. In the first mission (which obviously serves as a tutorial) we found a bit of everything described above, but it took very little to get into the game's atmosphere once we got familiar with the controls. 

Already from the first somewhat challenging fights against androids, it immediately becomes clear how important hacking speed is in combat (especially with the final bosses, even if we only saw the first one), in addition to, of course, the correct use of the right weapon against the right enemy (but this was also obvious), where in many cases it is not enough and in addition to the right weapon, precise and fast hacking will also be necessary.

When not fighting, exploration will be paramount, and it will be necessary to pay close attention to the environment to find the right path, as even if a direction indicator will help us when we want, it will not always be immediate to understand where to go. In essence, after playing for about an hour, Pragmata presents itself as a promising title in the sci-fi action-adventure game landscape.  Its combination of innovative gameplay mechanics (even if some have been seen before), an engaging narrative, and a fascinating setting make it a game to keep an eye on. The launch is scheduled for 2026, so we are sure there will be other opportunities to delve into other aspects.