PRAGMATA

I don’t know that we will ever get more of these games, but I think that’s fine, because what’s here is going to endure as an interesting experiment. If anything, the boldness of pairing this game next to a decidedly safe mainline Resident Evil title says to me that Capcom is confident that the weird still has a place next to the secure. Pragmata is a game that I think some people are really going to love and some people are going to completely bounce off of, but those are the kinds of games that you still talk about in ten years.

PRAGMATA blends heartfelt character chemistry with innovative dual-layered combat, delivering a consistently engaging and emotionally charged experience. At times, it feels like a game revealed six years ago, but it ultimately delivers on a long-made promise.

Pragmata is a compelling new IP from Capcom that excels in gameplay design while falling short in narrative ambition, blending inventive dual-layer combat, rewarding exploration, and meaningful progression into a consistently engaging experience. Though its premise and worldbuilding fail to fully capitalize on their potential, the emotional core between its two leads provides a strong anchor, resulting in a game that thrives mechanically even if its story lacks depth.

Pragmata is endlessly cool, visually sharp, and a testament to the fact that Capcom is really cooking with their IP these days, old and new alike. The combat system along with the hacking gameplay are incredibly intuitive, and it's fun puzzling out each encounter to handle it most efficiently. I do think the core loop of each level is a bit basic in terms of moment-to-moment action, and the game's story, while serviceable, doesn't quite capture the emotions I think it wanted to. Regardless, at the end of the day, this is a very entertaining and impressive video game, and what's been pulled off is worthy of celebration.

2026 is a banner year for Capcom, and Pragmata is yet another hit. Beneath its ultra-modern, minimalist exterior lies old-school action, consisting of linear areas and levels. The innovation lies in the hacking system, which is used alongside classic shooting mechanics, turning every battle into a sort of real-time puzzle. The first playthrough flies by in about ten hours of fun, excitement, and thrills. The game places a strong emphasis on replayability, but unless you’re a completionist or obsessed with the various "builds" (combination of guns & hacking tools) you can create, it probably won’t last much longer than the end credits. However, Pragmata manages to convey what the game has to say very well right from the first playthrough.