Longing Anticipation
Pragmata is a heavily anticipated release coming from Capcom. The title’s announcement goes all the way back to June 11th, 2020. Meaning it’s been almost five years of silence with just whispers. Luckily, the curtains have lifted off, and we get a taste of what is to come.
The Lords Played Pragmata:
Pragmata had a very prominent trailer featured in the latest PlayStation State of Play. Additionally, the game was also showcased at Summer Games Fest alongside a playable demo. This is where Lord King and Lord Addict got a chance to play the 2026-slated release. The demo is around 20 minutes. And they said it felt like a tutorial and a glimpse into the potential.
Lord King’s Thoughts
- This is the first action game that uses every button on the controller in motion
- The combat is multilayered with floor, middle ground, and aerial combat
- Three different weapons (available in the demo): the pistol, the shotgun, and the stasis net
- The protagonist has a jetpack for advanced movement
- The hacking/shooting mechanics will give the game longevity
Lord Addict’s Insights:
- The stasis net puts out an area of effect net, and any enemy that comes into contact with the stasis net takes damage
- Half and half gameplay where players move around with the character Hugh, and you hack the enemies with the girl (Diana)
- Hacking enemies is crucial to maximize damage output
- Hacking mechanic is intricate and is grid-based
- Combat relies on map knowledge and spatial awareness
- The game looks gorgeous
Closing Thoughts on Pragmata
It sounds like the combat will have players juggling between attacking enemies, dodging enemies’ attacks, and hacking the enemies. The latter will help to maximize the damage that can be dealt. In addition, this means the hacking minigame is happening in real time. I think this can be a game with a very high skill ceiling.
Capcom is killing it with their high-quality output from the likes of Dragon’s Dogma 2, Street Fighter 6, and the Resident Evil series. It is nice to know that Capcom is continuing to push game design and work on their own engines to help deliver exciting new IPs as well. Moreover, players can expect this title sometime next year and will be available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
