I love seeing game studios take massive risks and win big, especially in an era saturated with AI-generated content and a constant stream of remasters. It is incredibly refreshing to see a developer move past recycled concepts to deliver something genuinely original and ambitious.
Capcom has absolutely nailed it with their new IP, Pragmata, proving that the modern gaming community is still eager to support fresh ideas. It shows the world that players are hungry for innovation and are officially fed up with the copy-paste nature of today’s industry.
You play as Hugh Williams, a systems auditor sent to the moon to investigate a sudden communications blackout. Upon arrival, a massive moonquake wipes out his team and leaves the station in shambles.
Hugh quickly discovers that the facility’s AI administrator, IDUS, has gone rogue, filling the station with hostile robots to eliminate any remaining humans.
Continuing his journey, Hugh meets Diana (D-I-0336-7), a child-like android with advanced hacking capabilities. Though initially cautious, Hugh forms a protective, fatherly bond with her.
Through the entire game, we will see how capcom devs were inspired by the Dead Space franchise and how they used it create an even better world by using rogue AI robots instead of zombies.
The entire station can be checked out using the tram functionality just like it was on Dead space but with fewer and tighter areas to roam about.
The level design and combat are some of the finest works so far done by Capcom and it shows in every area of the entire space station.
From New York’s very own empire street area to beaches and semi-open view of the moon and the earth, each level has its own unique setting.
There is an option for high FPS mode which elevates the game with higher fps and better image quality on the PRO machines and PSSR V2 helps a lot here in this regard.
The pause menu shows you how much percentage of the area you have unlocked and obtained items for. If you wanted to 100% an area, you could easily do it by checking the pause menu anytime you wanted with multiple shelter/safe zones to go back to with near-instant load times.
At first when I watched the trailer, I wasn’t convinced that I would like the game. But, playing from the very first area made me realize how wrong I was but in a good way.
The whole hacking and shooting mechanic not only felt good but also introduced a new way to fight enemies. This made sense since we are trying to eliminate rogue AI robots here and introducing hacking and shooting mechanic here just made the whole gameplay experience seem complete.
From pistols to power shotguns and Snipers to deployable mines, you get a more than decent arsenal around you to play with. As you keep upgrading your character, you also get to play with additional weapons as well which only elevates the gameplay experience.
Here, you are able to upgrade your weapons, print new ones that you acquired, even upgrade your own character’s primary weapon and health as well as Diana’s hacking abilities
You rest up in your shelter area which provides you a safe place to rest and heal up your character while giving Diana to play with her new toy’s that you can collect along your playthrough.
Talking with Diana unlocks multiple conversations between you are here and pretty soon, she starts giving you multiple drawings of her with you or some other stuff as a gift for being such a good companion to her which is just wholesome.
The Shelter bot using your shelter level keys can upgrade your belongings to higher tier as well as provide you with stamps that you can unlock to create multiple bingo’s on as well as finish multiple VR training’s as well which provides you with more gifts as well.
Multiple skins can be unlocked in the game alongside your pre-order bonus for both Hugh and Diana and they all look awesome
Hacking sounds, character voices and game soundtrack have been nothing but great. The face animations and character movements are some of capcom’s finest work so far as well.
Disclaimer: Thanks to Capcom for sending us the review code for Pragmata
Pragmata PS5 Review
Conclusion
Capcom has proved that fresh ideas and new IPs can thrive when they are backed by technical excellence and genuine dedication. It’s a powerful reminder that innovation works best when the execution is just as ambitious as the initial concept.
For me, the bond with Diana and her unique hacking skills are what elevate the experience into a timeless classic. It doesn’t just stand out as a great new project, it is easily one of the best games Capcom has ever produced