With the “Pragmata” release date moved up to April 17, Capcom is making one last push to cast its new project in the best light. The publisher has offered hints of the gameplay and glimpses of the plot in short play sessions, but there has been little opportunity to experience a satisfying chunk of the campaign.
That changed at a recent session, where I played “Pragmata” for nearly three hours. I played a short section where Hugh and Diana explore a slice of New York, replicated with the lunum ore that allows nearly anything to be 3-D printed at the lunar base.
FIGURING OUT THE LEVEL DESIGN
The level presented the two with a problem. A gate blocks their path, and they have to find six switches to open it. The section I played through seemed narrow at first, with a boulevard leading to a locked gate, and I had trouble figuring out exactly where to go. Jumping in cold, it took a while to read the level’s structure, even with the guide offering a general waypoint to the first switch.
The replica New York itself is fascinating and shows the potential of the setting. It allows the developers to be creative in their design. This part of the lunar base looks like New York, but players can see that the situation went awry and that the printing is off in places, creating wild scenarios with cars half-printed or buildings in wrong places. It feels like being in a fever dream of Christopher Nolan’s “Inception.”
As players explore, pickups offer background to the fascinating facility. They explain why the campaign takes place on the moon, and the out-of-this-world research using lunum. This part of the game also shows off the intricate “Pragmata” level design.
It’s a game that has a surprising amount of exploration and platforming. Hugh has a somewhat large jump and a dash. When players hold the dash button down, they float a bit and descend more slowly. His character is more maneuverable, and that creates situations where players can test out the traversal mechanics to grab an out-of-the-way power-up or switches that open inaccessible treasure chests.
Players will explore the facility and encounter a door blocked by lasers; they can usually find a nearby switch to open it or suss out an alternate route. Elsewhere, players will find secret rooms that workers have hidden in the facility. Players can spot them when the hologram walls glitch out. It’s clever world-building that stacks on the gameplay.
As I ventured more into the level and hit switches, the tightly wound level opened up. I unlocked shortcuts to areas that were previously onerous to enter. They helped with navigation, but the Hatch system was a bigger aid.
HATCH SYSTEM AND HUB
Throughout the level, usually before tough encounters, players have a Hatch that becomes a save point. It also brings players back to a hub, where the robot, Cabin, resides. It’s also where players can let Diana play and give her presents in the form of Read Earth Memory tokens that Hugh picks up during their adventure. They create holographic items from the past, such as a CRT television or a slide.
The hub is also where players upgrade Hugh through the Firmware Updater and Unit Printer Builds. The Firmware Updater uses up rare lunum to increase Hugh’s health, boost his weapons or improve Diana’s hacking. The Unit Printer Build is where players spend more common resources to improve weapons, hacking, abilities and attachments.
Abilities are things such as a critical shot that’s unlocked when an enemy’s health is low. Attachments are the perks of Hugh’s suit, including thrusters, mod slots and the Overdrive Protocol, a sort of ultimate move that builds over time and hacks enemies around the two.
Cabin also has a role when it comes to collectibles. Players will find Cabin Coins to use on a stamp board to claim prizes. They include some useful power-ups, such as Mods. After players explore this part of the game, interact with Diana and level up their gear, players can head to the Tram and choose whatever Hatch to spawn at but before they go, they can adjust their loadout for three weapons and a Mod. The Mods are notable because they act as perks that accentuate a particular playstyle. They can boost close-combat damage or keep armored enemies exposed longer after they’re hacked.
LEARNING TO LOVE COMBAT
The combat is one of the more divisive elements of “Pragmata.” At first, I felt it was gimmicky. With Diana at his side, Hugh could command her to hack an android. This opened a minigame for players in which they moved a circuit to a goal, hitting tiles that produced effects on the enemy. My first impression was that it was too contrived, but as I played through this longer demo and had access to more tools, I saw how it changed the gunplay.
They then have to get through the minigame to execute that plan. There’s tension to nail that because Hugh and Diana can be hit during the process. It’s important to have situational awareness of the enemies around them so they can dodge at the last minute, avoid damage, and create space to hack again.
Lastly, there’s the gunplay. Players have to hit the target, but they must do it precisely. Hacking open the armor means that Hugh has to aim at the weak point it was protecting. Some larger enemies charge at the two, and when they crash, they leave open fuel rods on their backs that deal heavy damage. There are several ways to take down enemies, including using a Decoy Gun to spawn a hologram of Hugh, draw the bots to a trap and activating the iradiating beam. The most efficient ways to eliminate adversaries involve hacking, clever use of the environment and a keen eye.
All of that is tested in a huge boss fight. After opening the gates, players step into a brawl with a scorpion-type creature. Players have to hack it to expose its weak points, but this enemy also has tricks, such as jammers that prevent hacking. Hugh has to shoot those down so Diana can do her job. Meanwhile, the boss chases after Hugh and Diana while altering the battlefield.
It creates buildings in the middle of the arena and blasts waves of electricity. Players have to escape by climbing the buildings and firing at the boss while jumping before it knocks the structure down. It’s a drag-out fight, but one that shows the best of a combat system that has a surprising amount of depth and changed my mind about the game.
“Pragmata” comes out April 17 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.
