Feels seventh generation in the best of ways. What’s funny is that had this of come out during the PS3/360 era it would probably be sitting in the yellow with a 72 average on Metacritic because it wasn’t another brown, 100+ hour open-world adventure or competitive multiplayer shooter, and altogether condemned to the status of a cult classic that ultimately would’ve only been loved by weirdos like me. Hence, I am absolutely THRILLED everyone has gotten so fed up with the industry’s biggest publishers constantly trying to push live-service junk down our throats that these types of titles are finally receiving the nigh-universal praise from critics and players alike that they’ve always deserved. Gaming is healing!

In fact, it’s Capcom’s current focus on regularly pumping out exactly these kinds of single-player offerings that’s led to them being heralded as the medium’s present-day messiah of sorts, which as you can imagine naturally played a pretty significant role in helping Pragmata achieve the levels of pre-release hype that it did. Of course, another reason it’s garnered so much buzz is also the relationship between its two protagonists. The surrogate father/daughter dynamic is one that’s played a huge role in creating some of the most phenomenal and powerful video games of all time such as The Last of Us, the first season of Telltale’s The Walking Dead, and even Death Stranding to a degree. What sets this particular gem apart from those aforementioned masterpieces is that it approaches the concept in a significantly more lighthearted and playful manner. None of them had you gradually transforming your base into an elaborate child’s playroom after all.

Our leading man Hugh might be rather boring and there’s a bit of inconsistency regarding exactly how young his robotic companion is portrayed at points, but it doesn’t detract from the charm and wholesomeness of their interactions or watching the latter delight in her toys whenever you frequently return to the safe house to upgrade your gear and abilities. Their bond truly adds an element of sweetness and adorability to the mix that elevates the overall package into something far more memorable than it otherwise would have been. There is a downside to it all though, and I’m not just talking about the unnecessarily sad ending. I’ve personally found a lot of the reactions people have had to a certain half of the duo to be quite problematic if I’m being honest.

On top of some out there simply being straight-up pedos, I’ve noticed plenty of individuals posting about how the campaign experience has made them “want to have a kid.” While I am aware that more than a few of them are likely joking, I nonetheless can’t help but compare it to those instances where a popular movie will come out that makes a breed of dog trendy enough for many to go and adopt one despite not being ready for the responsibility, which tragically often results in the animals not getting the care they deserve. Pragmata presents the grandest fantasy version of parenthood. Little Diana doesn’t ever fuss, complain, have an attitude, or actually require you to legitimately look after her in the slightest. She’s basically a pet who you give presents to and watch perform cute tricks in response. Not hard to see how there could be a real market for hyper-realistic robot children in the future (shudders).

As for the gameplay, it is abundantly clear that Capcom thankfully wasn’t interested in merely attempting to coast by on the strength of their leading characters’ relationship alone. They’ve crafted some top-tier combat here that’s centered around the unique hook of needing to hack foes in real-time before you can deal any true damage to them. It’s an approach that hearkens back to the largely linear, “Gears of War knockoff” third-person shooters with a gimmick that the late 2000s and early 2010s were positively inundated with—minus the cover system—and consequently makes it nearly impossible for me to not think of as basically the Binary Domain sequel we never got considering its robotic enemies. This towers high above everything else of that ilk that I’ve gotten my hands on to date however, thanks to its various mechanics and design decisions causing it to be as demanding and require the same level of engagement as a traditional PlatinumGames or Team Ninja production.

Although, perhaps FromSoftware’s catalogue would be a better comparison as while there’s a heavy emphasis on constantly keeping mobile during the action, your evasive movement and even offense require noticeably Soulsborne-esque stamina management. Having the suit-mounted thruster dodges run on a cooldown of sorts is far from groundbreaking or unexpected, but having to wait for your ammo to recharge rather than being able to quickly reload with a fresh magazine is quite a novel twist on the concept. That, paired alongside all of the secondary weapons being limited use, means you can rarely go into conflicts guns blazing and instead must approach them thoughtfully, with careful attention being placed on where you direct your shots and which nodes that apply various buffs/debuffs when hacking are in your loadout. A fact that only leads to battles becoming more exhilaratingly intense as new threats are introduced and you have to fight multiple different ones at the same time.

Adding to the excitement are gargantuan bosses, an addictive sense of nearly nonstop progression as you consistently level up your equipment and capabilities, and a couple of fairly difficult challenges that unlock post-credits that are perfect for those who will be looking to seriously test their skills. I should probably be a tad harsher on Pragmata overall for arguably not being the most replayable thing in the world, yet I’m willing to overlook that a smidge given how I spent just under 17 hours with it and still didn’t reach 100% completion. Thus, I feel confident in saying there’s plenty of content here to ensure that those interested will get their money’s worth. This is a smart, endearing, original, and—outside of a handful of early clashes in tight hallways and small rooms where the camera can cause problems—meticulously designed wholly single-player outing. And in the days when the majority of other AAA studios would prefer to try to create and forever maintain a never-ending online project that ceaselessly generates revenue than provide exactly this, that means something. Another feather in the hat of Capcom during their freaking phenomenal 2026 run.

9/10