Pragmata Review – Dad’s sad and emotional epic set in stunning outer space | games

WWhen Pragmata was announced alongside the PlayStation 5 in 2020, its glossy trailer promised fantastic sci-fi action set in outer space. While it certainly offers that futuristic excitement on a grand scale, that’s what I do He didn’t do that We expect it was a tender story of parental love. This is Capcom’s surprisingly late entry into the sad game genre.

In this fantasy set in the near future, a company called Delphi has set up a research station on the moon to experiment with advanced 3D printing technology, using “Lunafilament” to easily recreate everything from tools to entire buildings. As expected, things quickly get worse. When the station suddenly goes dark, engineer Hugh is sent from Earth to investigate.

From the beginning, there is a very sad sadness to Pragmata. Shining corridors lead to eerily abandoned laboratories. Half-printed creations stand still, strands of thread pointlessly protruding from their incomplete frames, and holograms show recorded conversations from increasingly interested researchers. Hugh soon discovers that the human workers have met a gruesome end, but fortunately he doesn’t have to face it alone. After being attacked by malfunctioning security robots, Hugh is rescued by Pragmata – a 3D-printed android companion designed to look like a six-year-old girl. Which may It only becomes important later.

Hugh’s new pint-sized friend – whom he calls Diana – can fend off the killer machines by hacking right into them. With Diana sitting on your shoulders, a flick of the left trigger has her hacking advancing enemies’ codes in real time, exposing their weak points. As you navigate a hacking mini-game in one corner of the screen while frantically attacking robotic enemies, there’s more than a hint of Nintendo DS’s underappreciated MMORPG The World Ends With You. Although a limited selection of weapons and hacking options make combat simple at first, as you discover new hacking mods, unlock weapons, and upgrade your suit’s Iron Man-like thrusters, combat evolves into a layered test of reaction and strategy.

There’s a welcome warmth beneath Pragmata’s metallic sci-fi sheen. As you explore the peril-filled corridors, a pseudo-father-daughter relationship between Hugh and Diana slowly blossoms. What could easily seem like forced sentimentality grows so organically around the characters that you can’t help but care about them. Every new line of dialogue sparks a smile.

She soon discovers exactly what horrors have befallen this eerily abandoned lunar colony. Fortunately, you can take a break from the combat – and the underlying mystery – by descending into an underground bunker. This upgradeable hideout has a touch of Death Stranding, where you can unlock suit and weapon upgrades, undergo training simulations, and deepen your relationship with Diana. After each conversation, Diana is inspired to pick up her crayons and draw tender pictures of the two of you. With little knowledge of humanity, Diana learns about Earth through Hugh’s stories, and is excited by each new discovery about human nature. You can also play hide and seek with her, and set up a 3D printed playground in the shelter.

Thanks to its passionate base scientists, Pragmata has delightful visual diversity, quickly transporting you from whitewashed paths to tropical forests, beaches and even the surface of the moon, where it floats without the constraints of gravity. The traditions of the world are equally well realized. While wandering through a creepy, half-printed version of New York City, I discovered emails from Delphi employees expressing their extreme boredom that robots could now do every aspect of their jobs for them.

While a mid-game lull sees the action briefly descend into a directionless shooting gallery, a slew of late-game upgrades and some surprising story revelations ensure that Pragmata ends on a massive high. It’s brought together by the amazing art direction of Cho Yonghee – the artist behind the fantastic Nier Automata. I expected it to look good on the beefy PS5 Pro, but I was impressed to see Pragmata perform surprisingly well on Nintendo’s tablet-sized Switch 2 console.

Despite its near-future brilliance, Pragmata succeeds because it feels like a throwback to gaming’s recent past. It’s a beautifully designed, faithful single-player adventure with a new combat concept, and prioritises storytelling and atmosphere. While attempts at cheerful games often seem like something repulsive, Pragmata complicates her father-daughter relationship with surprising dexterity.