It has been four years since Capcom first pulled back the curtains on their brand new IP, Pragmata. Details have been scarce up until recently, but finally, at Summer Games Fest this year, players got a much better look at Diana and Hugh and what to expect in terms of gameplay. In addition to a new trailer, Capcom also allowed us to get some hands-on time with it, and after shooting and hacking through some futuristic robots, this game has made me a believer.
It has been over a decade since Capcom last tried their hand at a science fiction game, and it feels even longer since we got a new IP from the Japanese studio. I will admit, my early thoughts on this game were that Pragmata was going to be another third-person shooter set in space, just with some Capcom flair thrown in. Mysterious little girl, dude with a gun teaming up to kill some robots. While the demo was brief, it proved me wrong—its gameplay was far more engaging than I had expected. In particular, Pragmata’s hacking mechanic.
The robots that you encounter as you explore the space station seem to be rather resilient against the weapons that Hugh can carry, from futuristic pistols and shotguns, to net guns that slow a small portion of space. To really dish out the pain, you will need to rely on Diana to hack them, which opens an enemy’s armor to reveal its fragile inside components. Targeting spots like a robot’s arms or legs will see them blasted off, impacting how much of a threat they are to you. Hacking, though, isn’t a passive affair where you just hold down a button until a bar is full.
Having Diana hack an enemy brings up a window on the side of the screen with a small grid puzzle presented to you. In order to successfully hack an enemy, you will need to maneuver a cursor and connect with a specific location marked on the grid. This by itself would be more interesting than just watching a “HACKING” bar fill up, but Pragmata goes further by adding additional special types of nodes that, if you manage to pass your cursor over them as you make for the goal, will provide you with added buffs.
By default, the special nodes that appear increase the damage done to the enemy for a short period of time, but as I explored the demo area, I also came across items that added more of these special nodes that I could take advantage of. These were consumable nodes that once used would be gone, but I love the idea of being able to stock up on these items to fill out the hacking grid and blow them all on a boss.
What makes the hacking minigame stand out specifically for me is how it happens in real time, meaning you have to complete these little puzzles while continuing to dodge and deal with the dangers around you. The demo clearly was taking place early in the game with the most basic of enemies, but these puzzles were just complex enough that I had to divert my attention away from combat briefly to find the optimal path to get all the nodes I wanted, which does a great job to add tension and elevate encounters with even the most basic of enemy. I was playing using a DualSense controller, and hacking used the face buttons, meaning I could still move around and shoot as Hugh. If things ever got a bit too dangerous, I could pause my hacking attempt, move out of my current threat, and resume.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve been playing games for a long time and I’ve held buttons and watched more bars fill up than I can count, but I appreciate when developers manage to add active elements to a mechanic instead of a passive one. It’s part of what made me fall in love so much with Expedition 33’s turn-based combat, and it’s what has made Pragmata’s hacking system more alluring as well.
Pragmata turned out to be one of my most pleasant surprises at Summer Games Fest, and has changed from being just a passive curiosity of mine to a title I am eager to see and play more of. The sterile metal hallways and sleek robotic chassis are a stark departure from the primal forests and mutated monstrosities of the Japanese developers’ more recent titles, with no less care put into them. The Capcom of 2025 is a vastly different entity from the one of the early 2010s, which produced its last futuristic title. While much of Pragmata’s story remains under wraps, Hugh and Diana’s mission is shaping up to be an intriguing new IP and has the potential to join Capcom’s other legendary franchises.
Be sure to check out our other SGF coverage, including a look at Resident Evil Requiem!
Pragmata releases in 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam.
