Shooting robots while solving grid puzzles simultaneously felt odd at first, but Pragmata's deranged sci-fi mashup proves genre boundaries are meant to be broken. To make sure you're among the first to know when pre-orders go live, sign up for The Game Collection mailing list here >>

Pragmata is bonkers. It shouldn't work – a sci-fi  anime fever dream that crosses a third-person shooter with a puzzler like Pipe Mania – and yet, bizarrely, it does.

You're Hugh Williams (honestly, that name couldn't be more everyman if it tried), a chunky but surprisingly nimble spaceman who's been rescued by Diana, a barefoot android child who hangs about on your back like the world's most advanced and adorable satchel, providing tactical support and enough sass to keep things interesting.

But here's where Pragmata decides that one genre isn't enough: whilst you're busy dodging laser fire and pumping lead into rogue security bots, you're simultaneously solving grid-based puzzles in real-time. It's like playing Nokia's Snake whilst under fire from mechanical goons who really don't fancy being hacked, thank you very much.

A genre mashup

The core loop is deliriously simple yet utterly manic. You've got your standard shooter fare – strafe, aim, shoot – but every enemy encounter becomes this frantic dance between your trigger finger and your brain. As you're plugging away with Hugh's arsenal (a trusty infinite-ammo pistol, a proper meaty shotgun, and a rather nifty stasis net), Diana's bringing up these little grid puzzles on your HUD.

I panicked. A lot.

These aren't your bog-standard connect-the-dots affairs either. You're navigating around dead zones, collecting power-up nodes, and trying to reach specific endpoints whilst some mechanical menace is actively trying to turn you into space dust. Complete a hack successfully, and your target's defences crumbles opening them up for a proper shotgun sandwich.

The genius bit? It actually works. What should feel like patting your head whilst rubbing your belly instead flows like you've been doing it for years...eventually. There's something deeply satisfying about landing a perfect hack whilst simultaneously circle-strafing around a boss that looks like it escaped from the Metal Gear Solid's cutting room floor.

Stylish and slick

Visually, the game's having none of the grimy, horror-tinged aesthetics we've come to expect from Capcom's RE Engine. Here it delivers a surprisingly bright and clean sci-fi world that feels more optimistic Star Trek than doom-laden Dead Space. The environments pop with colour, the character models are gorgeous, and even the enemy robots maintain an almost pristine, white plastic appearance that somehow makes them less intimidating. It's all very shiny.

One thing that wasn't quite so clear was the game's overall narrative. A 20-minute action-packed intro demo wasn't quite enough to get a handle on Pragmata's story, even if we quite enjoyed the well-worn but effective interplay between gruff hero Hugh and his plucky AI companion.

But to be honest, we were there to kick some robot ass and muck around in the "how?" rather than worrying about the "why?" at this stage. I love that games like this exist. Someone had a cool idea to mashup some gameplay elements from seemingly disparate genres and create something that feels inventive and new. It's disorientating at first, I won't lie, but then it clicks, and that feeling of panic turns into a pleasant adrenaline rush.

Puzzling potential

The core shooting mechanics are solid enough to hook traditional action fans, whilst the puzzle elements provide something genuinely fresh in a genre that's often content to retread familiar ground. It's the kind of ambitious genre-mashing that the industry desperately needs more of. When Pragmata launches in 2026, it'll be interesting to see whether mainstream audiences embrace its particular brand of controlled chaos. But for those willing to dive into something genuinely different, Capcom's latest experiment looks set to deliver one of the most unique shooting experiences in years.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to practice solving maze puzzles whilst someone throws things at me. You know, for research purposes.

Pragmata launches next year. To make sure you're among the first to know when pre-orders go live, sign up for The Game Collection mailing list here >>