CAPCOM's sci-fi game PRAGMATA has been a mystery for a good while. In the months following its announcement in 2020 and its eventual delay from the 2022 release window, very little was said about the game, making players feel it would follow in the footsteps of the ill-fated Deep Down, an action role-playing game by the Japanese publisher that never saw the light of day. Thankfully, that was not to be the case, as a trailer shared in 2023 confirmed it was a real game with some rather unique gameplay mechanics, which were further defined in subsequent showings. While opinion is divided between action game fans regarding the game's unique combination of action and puzzle game elements, I feel that once PRAGMATA is in their hands sometime next year, the general consensus will be generally positive, expecially if the game's quality will be on the same level as that of the Gamescom 2025 demo.
The PRAGMATA Gamescom demo takes place aboard a deserted lunar research facility deep in space, where protagonist Hugh and the android Dana work together to uncover what happened to it and eventually return to Earth safely. On the surface, the game doesn't feel much different from a lot of other third-person action-adventure games, as Hugh has to navigate an intricate enough facility and complete a few simple puzzles, mostly of the navigational kind, while fighting enemies here and there. To be fair, everything feels pleasing enough to play, but the game definitely wouldn't have been very remarkable without its unique combat system combining action and puzzle game elements, which is sure to become the defining highlight of the entire experience.
Before Hugh can damage any enemy using any weapon, Dana will first have to hack them to lower their defenses. Hacking is done via some puzzle grids that are generally easy to complete, but that can be a challenge to clear with the attention divided between the minigame and avoiding damage. Once the puzzle has been completed, the enemy will be left defenseless for a short while, allowing Hugh to dispose of it. The hacking minigames promise to become more complex as Hugh discovers new abilities, as it is possible to apply debuffs via some slightly more complex puzzle grids. At the beginning of the demo, handling the two core elements of the combat system felt a little forced, but before long, I was hacking and taking down enemies with ease, all the while having extreme fun. The boss fight possibly even did a better job showcasing just how nicely this gameplay setup works, making for an intense battle that felt extremely dynamic with the constant switching between hacking and action gameplay, and properly taking advantage of the enemy's vulnerable state to maximize damage.
Having had so much fun with the demo, my time with PRAGMATA flew by way too quickly, leaving me hungering for more. With hints of things to come already noticeable from the demo, I really cannot wait to see how creative the development team got with an experience that is set to be among the most fun in action-adventure games in years. Sadly, we still don't know when we will be able to embark on this journey together with Hugh and Dana, as PRAGMATA is slated for a generic 2026 release window on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S. What we do know, however, is that this is not a 'secret Mega Man game' after all.
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