Pragmata Preview - Capcom's Next Hit IP?

I love it when Capcom makes games that aren't from an established franchise. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, and others as much as everyone else, but completely new IPs are also fun.

After several years of silence since its initial reveal, Pragmata was a game shrouded in mystery. A new IP from Capcom is sure to catch anyone's attention, so who wouldn't be curious about it?

We got hands-on gameplay of Pragmata at Summer Game Fest 2025, so join us as we unravel the mystery behind this title.

Two Makes a Team

Although we were able to play through 20 or so minutes of gameplay, the story of Pragmata remains enigmatic. There isn't much in the way of dialogue, other than that we control two characters simultaneously.

One character is this burly man clad in a utilitarian space suit -- his name is Hugh. The other is an android, Diana, that takes the form of a little girl. One might think that this is an escort mission, then, but as it turns out, Diana is quite capable.

Gameplay takes place within this clean, sterile space station. Something's happened, and we're essentially exploring to find a way out. The station is manned by these creepy, humanoid-like robots that are hellbent on taking you out.

Combat largely comprises two components: shooting and hacking. Hugh can shoot various firearms to destroy the robots, and Diana can hack them to make them vulnerable. Just shooting robots without hacking them first means they are near invincible.

Hack and Shoot to Victory

Players have to frantically hack these robots to make them vulnerable. On the upper right portion of the screen, there's a small grid that players use to hack. You have to guide your way to a green node to open a robot's vulnerabilities.

There are also blue nodes that will make them vulnerable for longer, so you have a bit of a high risk, high reward type of situation: hit some (or all) of those blue nodes before the exit, or just go straight for the finish?

Later on in the demo, we pick up an upgrade that unlocks shield nodes on the hacking grid. Hitting those nodes on your path to the seem to make robots take more damage.

The gist of combat is, then, to hack and then shoot. Hacking is succinct and easy enough to handle, though it remains to be seen if the complexity of this system will increase over the course of Pragmata.

Gunplay, by the way, feels pretty tight on controller. If I'm playing a shooter, first-person or, in Pragmata's case, third-person, then I'd prefer a mouse and keyboard. During my demo, I actually forgot I was playing with a controller, so it all felt very natural to control. 

Outside of combat, Hugh explores the station while Diana clings to his back. There are light puzzle and platforming elements, but nothing complex, so it's hard to gauge if puzzles are even the focus of Pragmata.

Pragmata Preview | Final Thoughts

While I did enjoy my time with Pragmata, I couldn't help but wonder how Capcom would continue to keep gameplay feeling fresh. I found three out of what appeared to be four total weapons, so I'm hoping there's more than it appears.

Other than weapons, the hacking might not feel stale after 10 or so hours, but I could see myself finding it a nuisance if Pragmata doesn't constantly introduce new mechanics to keep things fresh.

I'm optimistic, though, because Pragmata is a gorgeous game, and the dynamic between Hugh and Diana has potential to be very heartwarming -- or even tragic. We'll have to find out in 2026, which looks to be a big year for Capcom.

Pragmata was previewed Summer Game Fest.