Pragmata captured my consideration approach again in *checks notes* 2020 (wow). I lastly performed Pragmata earlier this yr at Gamescom and walked away each completely impressed and irritated with Capcom for making my demo solely 20 minutes lengthy. Following a brand new trailer at The Sport Awards 2025, which confirmed off new gameplay in New York Metropolis, an attractive reprieve from the lunar station that’s been closely showcased to date, Capcom launched a demo for the sport; it’s mainly what I performed earlier this yr and I can’t advocate it sufficient. It shortly highlights how distinctive Pragmata’s gameplay is, which mixes third-person gunplay with real-time hacking minigames.
“From the beginning, the core imaginative and prescient was a buddy-action expertise the place you’d management two distinct characters with a single controller,” Pragmata director Yongchee Cho tells me. The crew explored giving protagonist Hugh a small drone that aids him in fight, however as soon as the builders landed on the android Diana as a second protagonist, this concept advanced into the hacking system. This created varied layers of gameplay that each one occur without delay, and when coupled with the mysterious narrative and varied locales warped and twisted by Luna Filament, the identify Pragmata makes plenty of sense.
“The phrase comes from Greek, that means issues, actions, or information, and in philosophy, it connects to pragmatism,” Cho tells me. “A single phrase carrying so many layers of that means felt like the proper match for the story and world of this sport.”
Talking of that Luna Filament, it is the stuff that is inflicting New York Metropolis’s Occasions Sq. to look so totally different within the newest Pragmata trailer, and that is not the one location that will probably be remodeled by this mysterious substance. Cho says it is key to the sci-fi world Capcom is creating within the sport.
“We wish gamers to get pleasure from diving into the distinctive sci-fi world that defines Pragmata, and never simply the protagonists and their interactions,” he says. “You will come throughout areas warped by Luna Filament, the place unusual reactions and irregular buildings create an environment that feels each alien and intriguing. The sport is filled with moments and locales that spark curiosity, whether or not you are into sci-fi or not, and people surprises run all through the sport.
“Personally, I am unable to wait to see the unimaginable, super-plays gamers pull off as soon as they get their arms on it.”
These super-plays will probably be carried out all through Pragmata by the 2 unlikely protagonists, Hugh and Diana. Cho says Hugh tends to be laid-back and reluctant, however has a powerful sense of accountability. It is no shock, then, that he groups up with Diana.
“At first look, he may appear distant, but deep down, he is a sort individual,” Cho provides. “Diana might need felt like a burden early on, however via their explorations of the house station, he step by step begins to see her as somebody he actually desires to assist. We labored laborious to precise that aspect of Hugh’s character, not solely in dialogue, but additionally throughout fight all through the sport.”
On the flip aspect, Cho describes Diana as an android lady with huge AI information however little real-world expertise, making her an ideal match for Hugh. “She’s stuffed with curiosity a couple of world she is aware of virtually nothing about,” Cho says. “She initially meant to remain on the Moon, however assembly Hugh offers her a brand new goal, and she or he chooses to journey with him. As they journey collectively, studying from Hugh’s expertise, Diana turns into more and more fascinated by Earth and keen to find extra.”
The Moon, Earth, and different settings we’ll go to in Pragmata are impressed by all method of media, Cho tells me. “The character-driven story takes cues from human drama; the visible world borrows concepts from animation and Hollywood movies; and the mechanical design and presentation are influenced by Japanese animation,” he says. “In fact, it isn’t nearly inspiration. We have blended these influences whereas preserving the distinctive ambiance that makes Pragmata stand aside.”
Pragmata launches in April, so we do not have to attend lengthy to see whether or not it actually stands out from its inspirations. If what we have performed to date is any indication – and remember, you’ll be able to try a Pragmata demo proper now – Cho and crew are heading in the right direction.
