You know, every now and then you come across a game that leaves you staring at the TV after the credits roll. A game that leaves you feeling empty after it’s completed. A game that imprints itself on you in such a deep and profound way. Pragmata was one of those games.
I love so much about this game that I feel a little lost as to where to start.
The game’s biggest strength is easily the relationship between Hugh and Diana. Every single moment is beautiful and heartwarming. Grace Saif’s stellar performance as Diana is up there as some of the best I’ve experienced, and combined with some incredible writing, Diana steals the show whenever she is on screen. She is this eternally bright spark in a bleak, depressing sci-fi setting, and her relationship with Hugh extends into a relationship with you as the player. You want to talk to her. You want to collect REM data to give to her in the shelter. She transcends what an NPC should be. Make no mistake, this entire game is about their father-daughter relationship. The plot exists to further their bond, no other reason.
The plot itself is fairly predictable and safe, but it doesn’t need to be anything different. In fact, I’d argue that the game’s predictability strengthens its emotional aspect. I won’t say much more for fear of spoiling it, but for those that have finished the game, you’ll know what I mean.
Diana isn’t just a nice story beat; Capcom’s innovative hacking system forces a reliance upon her. Hugh is useless without her. The combat is fast paced, demanding you to manage positioning, the hacking system to provide openings, and offence all at once. It does this all without becoming overwhelming and is always enjoyable. I never got sick of the combat, and there’s a huge variety in ways to overcome the game’s many combat scenarios. The few boss fights are all great, and on lunatic difficulty they provide a decent challenge. You have to be tactical to overcome them, especially the upgraded version of the final fight.
Another small thing, but I really liked the shelter. It’s exactly what a hub should be. Seeing it gradually change as you gather collectibles is incredibly satisfying. Collectibles aren’t there without purpose, they again serve to provide additional aspects to Diana and Hugh’s relationship, and the shelter is where it all comes together.
Also, goes without saying, but the game looks and sounds fantastic. It runs smoothly, and I experienced no performance issues during many run.
Usually this is where I’d say what I didn’t like about the game… and my only real complaint is the length. When my only issue is that I’m left wanting more of the game I’m playing, that’s a pretty damn good sign I enjoyed it.
Platinum was a fairly simple affair, beat the game, collect the things, do some miscellaneous stuff. You know the drill. The game is rated a 6/10 difficulty but this is really only pertinent to lunatic difficulty and the final boss, and even then you’re given enough tools to reliably overcome all of the truly difficult obstacles.
I encourage everyone to give Pragmata a go, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. It has some of the best writing I’ve come across in a long time, and it’s exceptionally rare I care about the characters in the same way I did here. And, on the infinitesimally small chance someone at Capcom is reading this - give us a sequel, thanks.
10/10