PAX West: Hands-on with Capcom's PRAGMATA

Mega Man and Girl

Capcom is no stranger to the stories of robots and their plight, as the Megaman series can attest. The side-scrolling platformers were known for their exciting story, white-knuckle combat, and challenging difficulty. Now, whether by coincidence or happenstance, PRAGMATA stands to be yet another Megaman game of sorts. 

Featuring an exciting combination of puzzle-solving and shooting, PRAGMATA is a game that is certainly shaping up to be one to keep an eye on, as its sharp gameplay and unique characters are met with a strange mystery on the Moon. 

Fly Me to the Moon

The demo for PRAGMATA begins with Hugh Williams awakening after being critically wounded. A young android girl repairs and heals him as well as his suit. The lunar station has been attacked by an unknown force, and there are no reports of the whereabouts of the human inhabitants. Suddenly, they are attacked by a tall humanoid android, and despite Hugh’s best efforts, he isn't able to do damage.  

Suddenly, the android girl keeps to Hugh's back and unleashes a bombardment of information, hacking the target and allowing Hugh to do damage with his gun. He gives the android girl a name, Diana, and the two set out to find safety and discover what has happened. 

Lock and Load

My demo took me through the early stages of the game. High is encased in an advanced exo suit that allows him to access different weapons but also analyze the environment. The demo featured the traditional aspects of platforming and navigation, using switches to move platforms and open doors. More robots appeared and had to be taken down. 

Some robots were more humanoid, and others were drones. The drones had their own offensive and defensive capabilities, but with the hacking ability from Diana, they were quick to take down. At this point, I had acquired a long rifle and a gun that shot out a disabling energy field. These smaller enemies were just small appetizers to the main course, and that was a beefy boss fight. 

It Never Stops

At the end of the demo was a massive mech, not too dissimilar from RoboCop’s ED-209. This walker has jetpacks for ramming and missile packs for firing homing missiles. From the very start, it was a difficult fight, and I didn't know if I was going to make it.

Hugh has a sense of weight and momentum. While he can dodge with the thrusters on his suit, it takes a moment for him to move. This sense of vulnerability kept the encounter tense as Hugh isn't a specially-trained soldier. Fortunately, I found health and was able to get a better hang of Hugh and his suit. 

Dive into PRAGMATA

Halfway through the battle, the Sector Guard launched missiles, and Diana was able to do an overdrive that could paralyze the enemy when the gauge was filled. Using the power up, the bit was disabled and stunned long enough to sink various critical hits into the mechanical beast. It was a matter of rinse and repeat. Dodge missiles, hack, shoot, continue. After a while, the boss was down, and with a high five, the demo was over. 

Details on PRAGMATA are still under wraps, but the demo proved that a strong and exciting shooter is in the works! The hacking mechanic woven into exciting third-person combat creates intriguing and engaging feedback that I can't wait to try out more. Pragamata is shaping up to be an exciting game and a truly innovative adventure. 

PRAGMATA launches in 2026.