The Artemis II mission has gripped the world over the past few weeks, as humans dared to venture into the far reaches of space in search of answers. While the heroic astronauts may have finally returned home and the mission is officially over, many are left pondering what’s in store for the next era of space exploration.
Pragmata is a futuristic action-adventure game that looks, feels and plays almost like your own personal lunar mission. Its timely story about outer space, artificial intelligence, and the connection they both share could not have come at a better time.
And with pristine visuals, a wickedly original combat system, and a pair of heroes you’ll fall in love with, it is a mesmerising adventure of stellar proportions.
2026 has had no shortage of big releases. But so far, Pragmata has easily become one of my favourites yet. Get ready for blast-off.
The future potential of generative AI in space?
Pragmata is a futuristic sci-fi game that manages to do the impossible, blending fast-paced action and adventure with slow-paced strategy and puzzle-solving. It also packs a meaty storyline over humanity’s ever-growing relationship (and reliance) with artificial intelligence.
You play as Hugh Williams, a member of a dispatch team sent to investigate a lunar research facility that has become unresponsive. Upon arriving at the facility, you’ll marvel at the technological advancements humanity is capable of, as huge machines are busy 3D-printing everything imaginable in space using a refined material known as Lunafilament.
Is this the future of space travel? Part of you hopes not.
That’s because there’s an eerie feeling you can’t escape as you venture further into the quiet facility; just where are all the humans? Oh dear.
And then, further disaster strikes. After a devastating lunar quake separates Hugh from the rest of his team, he is soon discovered (and rescued) by Diana. She is a Pragmata, a unique android created using Lunafilament, who has taken on the appearance of a young girl.
Having only recently been activated, Diana has little to no data guiding her, so she is just as curious about the lunar facility and the world around her as Hugh is. From then on, her unique abilities become a lifeline for Hugh and his new mission to find out what exactly happened at the facility and send a message back to Earth.
But things get even worse. Despite there being little sign of human life across the entire facility, the pair aren’t alone in space. The station’s AI system, IDUS, becomes hostile and will try to neutralise both Hugh and Diana with an army of robotic minions at every step of the way.
A small cast makes an enormous impact in-game
It’s such risky business to make a video game centred on just two characters. But take it from me when I say that the dynamics between Hugh and Diana will be completely absorbing.
Given Diana’s childlike appearance, Hugh says from the beginning that he’s "no babysitter". And yet, within a few short minutes of them meeting, he seems to forget these reservations and quickly dotes on her.
He answers every single one of her questions, trying (and failing) to satisfy her endless curiosity. Whenever he’s not trying to survive hordes of hostile robots, he collects toys for her so she can enjoy herself when they’re back at base. She draws a picture of him to say thanks.
Hugh even shares unprompted titbits about his own personal life with her, which is totally alien to the stoic, emotionless leading men in video games we’ve come to expect from these kinds of games.
He humanises Diana, despite being well aware she’s a form of technology that’s also trying to kill him. Which brings us to the focal point of enjoying Pragmata – no matter how likeable the heroes of the game are, the spellbinding combat system is something you need to master in order to survive.
Hybrid 'hack-and-shoot’ combat creates action-packed puzzles full of fun
Combat in Pragmata is an extraordinary reinvention of third-person shooting. It strikes a unique balance between speed and strategy, requiring players to complete mini-game puzzles amid fast-paced combat.
All enemies in the game have reinforced armour, so firing off your weapons without the proper preparation achieves nothing. Instead, you must rely on Diana, who is nestled on Hugh’s back, to hack their systems and temporarily expose their weaknesses.
When hacking, a small grid opens on the screen and players must enter a series of button sequences to guide a cursor toward a target node. Reach it and Diana will inflict damage, rendering the enemy vulnerable for a short period. Only then should Hugh hold down his trigger.
Specialised nodes can also appear on the grid; passing through these might take you longer than usual, but they can strengthen the hack, extend its duration, and cause bonus status effects on enemies, depending on the icon.
Players might be worried that such a "complicated" combat system could grow tiresome over the course of the game. But I’ll be honest when I say the combat in Pragmata has been some of the most fun I’ve had in a third-person shooter in quite some time, and the novelty of the puzzles never dulled.
The pesky robots won’t just sit idly by and let you fry their circuits. They’ll continue to evolve, with a diverse range of attack patterns and movements, and harder hack grids to navigate. As such, strategising the best time to pull off an elaborate hack is key.
Thankfully, your ability to defend yourself evolves in tandem. A diverse choice of weapon types is on hand to offer support, whether it be slowing, stunning, distracting or even taking over enemy bots to fight for you.
Another noteworthy point is that, despite being a game about futuristic AI, there are no complicated menus or talent trees that give you an instant headache. And with no shortage of routes leading back to your base of operations, you can always nip home, rest up, 3D-print some supplies, and get back into the action.
If more games set you up for success and streamlined their systems as Pragmata does, I’d be a happy gamer.
Pragmata is another home run for developer Capcom
Simply put, Pragmata is a breath of fresh air for the gaming industry. It has all the ingredients necessary to become one of Capcom’s signature new ventures. And in an era of remakes and remasters, how fun is it to finally play something entirely new?
An ambitious combat system is chock-full of ingenuity that will never fail to keep you focused. All the while, the pristine lunar world you find yourself in will fascinate you to no end, with a myriad of different generated environments to explore (and try to survive in).
If you’re not ready to let go of the Artemis II mission just yet, want to see what potential life on a lunar colony might entail (hostile robots and all), or simply want to enjoy a well-thought-out story, Pragmata is an unmissable blast-off.
Pragmata releases on April 17 - it will be available to play on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC
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