Review: With ‘Pragmata,' Capcom takes a moonshot at a new type of combat

The Artemis II mission was a rare moment in history when it felt as though the world was tuned into one channel. The four-person crew’s trip around the moon was a journey not seen in more than 50 years, and after it was over, it left an enormous hole in the public mind. Folks were going through lunar mission withdrawal.

One way to satiate that is by going on another moon adventure, and Capcom moved up the release date of “Pragamata” to fill that void. It’s a fresh work from a publisher known for its sequels and compilations, and the sci-fi action title takes players to the lunar surface at an experimental base called the Cradle, where the Delphi Corporation is working with an unusual substance called lunafilament, a material capable of replicating structural and functional data.

INSIDE THE CRADLE

It lets the company 3-D print nearly anything. It can mimic trees, machines and even sections of cities. Players take on the role of Hugh Williams, who lands in the Cradle along with a crew to investigate an incident on the base. They discover that the workers are gone and that the artificial intelligence named IDUS has deemed them a threat, eliminating Hugh’s friends.

Over the course of a 15-hour adventure, players will discover what really happened in the Cradle, but as Hugh, they won’t do it alone. He finds help in the form of a Pragmata that he names Diana. The childlike android is the key to exploring the base because she can hack into its systems and the robots that IDUS sends their way.

Players will explore five major districts filled with boss fights and new abilities. Hugh and Diana are free to return to a shelter when they encounter a hatch. Players will need to visit the hub often to improve Hugh’s suit, weapons and Diana’s hacking. They can also upgrade his weapons, Diana’s tools and her abilities.

UNUSUAL COMBAT

All of these elements shape the most unusual part of “Pragmata” — the combat system. Initially, it seems gimmicky. The robots’ armor makes it difficult to do major damage, but players can use Diana’s hacking to open up holes in their defenses. That’s done via a minigame where players move a cursor along a grid and to an endpoint.

Doing so makes enemies go on the fritz so that they’re vulnerable to firearms. It takes a while to adjust to this new step to the gunplay, and it can frustrate players, but the more they use it, the more they notice how it adds depth to the combat. Players don’t just run and gun. The “Pragmatic” gameplay is more methodical, and the hacking slows the flow of the fight.

Players have to be more thoughtful in how they use their weapons, which can’t be reloaded. They’re disposable and players have to pick up new ones, which are printed or dropped around the environment. Diana’s hacks also have a role. When moving the cursor to the endpoint, players can maneuver it to nodes that activate ailments or extra damage. Players have to be purposeful with them because the hacks are also limited but can be refilled.

The way players have to strategically use weapons and hacks while also keeping up the situational awareness of enemies and attacks is reminiscent of the modern “Doom” games, but Capcom slows it down and remixes it. What’s even better about “Pragmata” is that every weapon and hack is viable, and players will have to focus on mods and weapon combinations that accentuate their playstyle. Players can focus on damaging adversaries with firearms or eliminating them with Diana’s hacks. There’s even an ability to autohack at the expense of a meter that unleashes Diana’s ultimate attack when its full.

Hugh and Diana explore outside the lunar base in “Pragmata.” (Capcom)ENVIRONMENTS BUILT FOR EXPLORATION

The other stellar part about “Pragmata” is the level design. Capcom crafted a lunar world that’s rewarding to explore. Players will search through every hallway for secret rooms and look for hidden paths to gain upgrade resources and mods that will make the campaign easier or open up new combat opportunities.

Each environment feels different and creatively leverages the 3-D printing conceit to create imaginative settings. Players will venture through a printed New York neighborhood or head out to the floaty lunar surface, which is inhabited by sandworm-like drillers that can heavily damage Hugh and Diana. At the shelter, players can also test their skills in training sessions that teach the finer points of weapons and traversal, preparing them for tougher challenges ahead.

At times, “Pragmata” almost feels like a Naughty Dog game in the way the team crafts a narrative that’s more heartfelt than other projects. A reason for that is that there are so few characters, which gives more room for Hugh and Diana’s bond to flourish. The one issue I had with the character development is that players don’t get enough of Hugh’s background, which limits some of the emotional impact later in the game. The interesting back-story could also be conveyed better than the diaries scattered around the world.

“Pragmata” isn’t perfect, but it’s still a worthy moonshot for Capcom, and it establishes a strong foundation for a series that has room to grow.

‘Pragmata’

3½ stars out of 4

Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC

Rating: Teen

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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 11:07 AM.