Hey so, have you ever just… stumbled upon a game and thought, wow, can’t believe this genre still has surprises up its sleeve? That’s basically what happened with me and Pragmata. Third-person shooters, right? They’ve been around forever, doing their thing with guns, slow-mo, and cover systems. And here comes Pragmata like, “Hey, watch this!”
So, Summer Game Fest 2025, I’m there, totally not expecting anything groundbreaking. Then, bam! Capcom drops this game they’ve been hinting at for ages, and it’s like nothing I’ve seen before. Seriously.
You got these two folks – Hugh, your astronaut in what looks like a NASA fever dream, and Diana, who’s this android kid and – I don’t know why I remember this – she piggybacks on Hugh like it’s some kind of futuristic piggy-back ride. She’s all about hacking stuff while Hugh’s out there shooting, like a dynamic duo straight out of a buddy cop movie… but in space.
So here’s the kicker: every enemy is basically a puzzle. And I don’t mean Sudoku. Think more like, “Here’s a robot, figure out how to hack it open while also dodging laser beams.” Oh! And Diana’s hacking thing? It’s like this mini-game that doesn’t even pause the action. You’re out there strategizing your face off while bullets are whizzing by. Wild, right?
And those enemies – they’re no walk in the park. They’re armored harder than my grandma’s fruitcake. But with Diana’s hacks, you crack them open like crab legs at a seafood buffet. Okay, that was weird, but you get my drift.
Anyway – no wait – there’s this cool trick where you grab these items called Decodes. They make hacking a bit easier, but you only get so many. It’s like, do I use one now or save it for a bigger bad guy? Decisions, decisions.
Then there’s this gunplay? Man, it’s solid. You got your pistols and shotguns and… get this: a Stasis Net. It’s this gun that traps enemies in some sci-fi shocky bubble. Launch one of those, and you can hack to your heart’s content.
And Hugh? Surprising dude. Moves like a butterfly even in that clunky spacesuit. He’s got all these thrusters and stuff. Jumping around to dodge attacks feels more like parkour than a shootout.
Oh, and the conversations between Hugh and Diana? Kinda adorable. Like, amidst all the chaos, they crack jokes. Adds this warmth that you don’t expect in such a cold, mechanical setting.
At the end of the day, Pragmata came out of nowhere and ran right into my list of must-play games. Honestly, who saw that coming back in 2020 when they first teased it? Can’t wait till 2026 when it hits the Xbox Series X|S. Bet I’m not the only one counting down.
