Review: Pragmata (PS5) – Brilliant Combat Is the Star of Yet Another Capcom PS5 Hit

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I can’t believe it’s been almost six years since we first heard about Pragmata! It feels like ages ago, way back before the PS5 even came out. I’m still so excited to finally see what it’s all about.

Capcom first revealed this sci-fi action game at the original PlayStation 5 presentation, and it’s been in development ever since. After taking so long to create, many players are wondering if the final product lives up to the hype and justifies the wait.

We’re happy to announce that it is! Pragmata is a fantastic new action game and continues the publisher’s impressive streak of high-quality releases.

You take on the role of Hugh, a member of a team dispatched to a massive lunar research base to investigate a sudden loss of communication with Earth.

Trouble starts quickly, and a major disaster leaves him stuck inside the lunar base. To make matters worse, the base is overrun with dangerous robots controlled by a rogue artificial intelligence.

A strange, girl-like android rescues Hugh, and together they decide to team up, uncover the truth behind the situation, and find a path home to Earth.

Hugh teams up with Diana, an android, to fight off the relentless robots attacking them. Diana disables the robots by hacking into their systems, creating openings that Hugh exploits with his weapons and skills to destroy them.

You control both characters simultaneously, which can be a bit confusing at first. Switching between moving and dodging as Hugh while also hacking as Diana takes some getting used to, but once you do, it creates a fast-paced and incredibly rewarding experience.

Hacking plays out like a fast-paced puzzle. You use the controller buttons to move through a grid to reach a green square and hack an enemy. Moving through blue squares makes the enemy stay vulnerable for a longer period of time.

Even while hacking, you can continue to control Hugh’s movement, letting you avoid enemy attacks or create space when they get too near.

The game strikes a great balance between challenging enemies and satisfying combat. It features a wide variety of enemy types and throws them at you in interesting combinations, but the difficulty always feels fair and well-tuned.

Battles are exciting, strategic, and fun, and the gunplay is excellent. Weapons feel strong and responsive, especially the Shockwave Gun, which has a powerful impact.

Honestly, one of the best parts about playing is unlocking new weapons and hacking skills. It keeps the gameplay from getting stale and gives me the tools I need to take on tougher enemies as I get further in the game.

You’ll find yellow hacking nodes scattered throughout the grid. When you move through them, they activate helpful effects like freezing enemies, turning robots against each other, or causing them to overheat quickly.

When in that state, Hugh can deliver a powerful blow that more often than not finishes them off.

The game offers engaging combat with plenty of action, which is great since you’ll be fighting frequently. While new abilities and upgrades keep things interesting for a while, the gameplay can become somewhat repetitive later on.

The game features some puzzles, but the main focus is on fighting, which is thankfully very enjoyable. The story isn’t too long either, taking about 12 hours to complete.

As you play, you’ll discover safe rooms that act as a central base. Here, you can improve your equipment, choose your weapons and items, and quickly return to areas you’ve already explored.

You’ll experience Hugh and Diana’s relationship as you play, and the shelter offers even more opportunities to learn about their connection.

While playing, you’ll discover ‘Read Earth Memories,’ which create everyday objects inside the shelter for Diana. These can be anything from a TV to a beach umbrella. Though they don’t provide any practical advantages, it’s heartwarming to watch her enjoy and curiously investigate them.

Honestly, I really liked playing as the two main characters – they were the highlight for me. The story starts strong and does wrap things up, answering the main mysteries, but it mostly feels like a setup for a whole lot of robot-blasting action, and then it kind of steps aside. There’s nothing wrong with that, I love a good action game, but overall, I was left feeling a little…underwhelmed, if I’m being honest. Without giving anything away, it just didn’t quite stick the landing for me.

The Moon base is designed with interconnected areas that cleverly loop back on themselves. Despite being set on the Moon, the environment is surprisingly varied – you start in simple, grey hallways, but quickly move on to much more interesting and visually appealing locations.

Lunafilament is a versatile material that allows for the creation of realistic environments, potentially including detailed cityscapes like Manhattan or labs filled with artificial plants and trees.

The game areas are mostly straightforward paths, but they’re full of hidden spots and secrets. Exploring pays off with useful items – you’ll find extra health packs for Hugh, upgrades to make him stronger, and Lunafilament, which is used to unlock and improve your equipment.

You’ll need to explore multiple times to find everything. The game has obstacles that require you to return to earlier areas, encouraging you to revisit places you’ve already been.

It would be really helpful to be able to travel quickly between the escape hatches. Right now, having to return to the main shelter every time you want to move around is a bit annoying, especially when you’re just trying to find items.

Beyond that, the game is remarkably well-designed. It centers around one core concept and delivers it flawlessly. Its structure is also pleasantly straightforward – it has a classic feel, reminiscent of PlayStation 3 games, and that’s a good thing.

Despite not having a retro appearance, Pragmata looks fantastic and performs well. On a typical PlayStation 5, we consistently achieved around 60 frames per second while using the ‘Prioritise Resolution’ setting.

I’ve been playing around with the settings, and ‘Prioritize Frame Rate’ really makes the game run super smoothly. Honestly, the other mode is pretty close in performance, and the best part is it doesn’t make the graphics look any worse. It’s a great option if you want a balance between smooth gameplay and good visuals.

Players with a PS5 Pro have even more to enjoy. The game looks noticeably better and runs very smoothly. While there’s a setting for a faster frame rate, you’ll likely only see a difference if you’re using a 120Hz display.

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2026-04-13 18:08