Dystopian sci-fi adventure Pragmata starts like an ‘80s horror movie. You find yourself in control of astro-engineer Hugh as he cautiously makes his way through an eerily quiet lunar research station called The Cradle, trying to uncover why the base’s communications with Earth have been shut off. Just as the rest of his team realise they might be in danger, a moonquake spits half of them out of the window into the cold, lifeless embrace of space. The rest are quickly dispatched by rogue security androids. With their death howls still echoing over the airwaves, it looks like you’re doomed as well – until a small child comes to the rescue.
Turns out your saviour – Diana (AKA Pragmata D-I-0336-7) – is a robot too but she isn’t part of The Cradle’s murderous AI network IDUS, so the pair of you team up to make contact with the outside world. It’s a match made in heaven. Hugh has an impressive arsenal of weapons but they’re pretty useless against the various metallic monsters sent by IDUS until Diana has ‘hacked’ them, forcing them to expose a weak point.
It might sound clunky but the hacking/combat mechanic is surprisingly elegant – lock onto a foe, link point A of a grid to point B to complete the hack then open fire. Pragmata’s central gameplay mechanic combines the best bits of puzzle and shooter games, with the threat of imminent oblivion adding some white-knuckle urgency to the whole adventure.
Living up to his role as the reluctant hero, Hugh grows steadily more exasperated as the robo-nasties get more ridiculous. The mismatched mates have to defeat giant, toothy worms, scorpions that fire lasers from their tail-stinger and flying tanks. Fortunately, different hacks, mods and weapons become available as you move through the game so each life or death encounter requires a tactical element as well. To earn upgrades at the ‘Shelter’ base camp, you’ll have to solve a number of 3D platformer challenges but they’re just as readily uncovered while exploring The Cradle.
Alongside the high-octane shoot-outs, Pragmata also features an emotionally-charged story to keep you blasting forwards. Despite himself, the grieving Hugh slowly builds a connection with the inquisitive, precocious Diana as they uncover the secrets behind The Cradle and its over-the-top security system. It’s basically The Last Of Us meets Alien.
Each level of the massive, multi-storey Cradle is a beautiful near-future tech nightmare. There’s fun to be had with the game’s interstellar setting (especially the lack of gravity in the ruined Lunum Mines) and the variety of mecha menaces sustains the thrilling combat.
The most impressive thing about Pragmata, though, is how sleek everything feels. There are no dull side-quests to trap you in The Cradle longer than necessary, all the hidden collectibles are listed on the main map so you’re not wasting time looking in the wrong areas and there’s no grinding required to defeat the gargantuan cyber bosses standing in your way. You’ll be able to complete the main story in under 12 hours, and not a second of that engaging, entertaining adventure is wasted.
‘Pragmata’ is out now for Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC
VERDICT
Pragmata is a fun, thrilling sci-fi romp. The combat/hacking mechanic evolves the shooter genre in a refreshing way, while the tale of villainous AI, rogue 3D printers and unlikely human connection blends the horror elements with something more wholesome. This is a sleek, polished package from legendary developer Capcom that makes every minute of its to-the-point 12-hour playtime matter.
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