Pragmata is a satisfying sci-fi shooter with an intriguing double act

Engadget

11-06-2025

Capcom's odd-couple sci-fi action game, Pragmata , is almost here. At SGF 2025, I finally got to steer Hugh (the human) lumbering around in a military spacesuit, with the adorable android, Diana piggybacking along.
First announced in 2020, Pragmata is set on a lunar base, where an industrial mishap turns security droids hostile, while lines of communication back to Earth have been severed. The USP here is how you fight your threats by teaming up with a small synthetic girl who can hack into hostile robots while you shoot away at them with a collection of weapons.
Hugh starts off with a simple pistol with unlimited ammo but soon acquires additional firearms, including a shotgun-like energy gun that inflicts severe damage up close and restraining webbing to slow down multiple enemies, giving Diana more time to hack. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so.
I was intrigued to see how Capcom would balance P ragmata' s gameplay premise of controlling and fighting with both characters. I thought it would involve a lot of tagging between each character, or worse, steering each with a different analog stick. Fortunately, Pragmat a's implementation is an elegant one.
The player primarily controls the human, Hugh. While he runs and guns, Diana's powers involve locking onto an enemy and making hacking attacks by navigating a two-dimensional grid with the DualSense's main buttons. Triangle for up, Circle for right .etc. While getting from point A to B inside this grid will 'break' a robot's defenses, you'll want to pass through other nodes on the way, increasing damage and even adding buffs. The limit here is ensuring Hugh remains out of danger long enough to focus on Diana's efforts.
Thankfully, Hugh's equipped with dodges and rocket dashes to keep his distance from enemies. Expect to use walls and structures as cover, too, especially when facing multiple enemies at once. It's probably possible to take down enemies without hacking, but it will take a lot more time. Hacking also interrupts the robots' attacks and movement — it's mandatory in most confrontations in Pragmata .
The rest of the demo involved exploring the area, releasing multiple locks to progress further into the lunar base. Hugh can jump and boost himself for longer gaps or just some controlled hovering. Pick-ups between battles were mostly health boosts and secondary weapons. Most one-on-one encounters could be dealt with using the low-damage pistol, but when there are two, three, or five enemies, swapping between the slow-down weapons or the powerful shotgun was very much necessary. It's a satisfying battle system, but I'm curious as to how deep this system will go. (Also, I wish I'd got to try some boss battles during the demo.)
When Diana hacks and successfully breaks a robot's defenses, certain parts and systems are highlighted in yellow, suggesting possible weak points. It's a little similar to Horizon' s scanning mechanic, and while I couldn't get an answer during my hands-on demo, it'll be interesting to see whether that offers some more depth to combat. I'd appreciate the ability to focus on neutralizing a heavy-duty weapon or slowing an enemy down by aiming at their legs.
As the company teased in the latest trailer, Pragmata 's been a long time coming. First revealed in 2020, Capcom is now aiming for a 2026 release.