Resident Evil 9 was a highlight for many at the gamescom. MeinMMO editor Niko was also very looking forward to playing it, but his main highlight was a new sci-fi shooter from Capcom that fascinated him with an unusual mechanic.
What game is it? At this year’s gamescom, I was able to look at 3 games from Capcom. Beforehand, I was most looking forward to Resident Evil 9, whose demo was quite creepy and felt a lot like part 7.
Onimusha was also a lot of fun. The Samurai zombie game brings the series back, and the gameplay, which had slight souls-like elements, convinced me in this demo.
A big question mark for me was Pragmata. Before the demo, I wasn’t clear on what kind of game it was supposed to be. Just Resident Evil in space? Yes and no. Pragmata completely fascinated me with its demo, even though one mechanic will likely divide the player base.
Robots, Hacking, and a Space Station
What exactly is Pragmata? Pragmata will be released in 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series, and PC. The completely new IP tells the story of a space station that is to be explored among others by Hugh Williams. He gets separated from his team and is injured. In the process, he meets a small android girl who not only helps him with his injuries.
That is roughly the plot that is known so far. At gamescom, I was able to play an introductory section of the game and get a good impression of it. I was thrilled, but I don’t know if it will work for every player.
How does Pragmata play? After a cutscene in which you meet the android girl, she jumps on your back and the fight against a robot begins.
The controls reminded me most of Dead Space. The character with his armor feels a bit heavier
and the space setting also brings back memories of the horror hit. No worries if you are not a fan of horror: At no point in the demo was it creepy; the comparisons to Dead Space refer to the controls.
You are equipped with 3 different weapons in the demo, but the best tool in battle is the little girl. Her mechanic is stressful, but that’s why it’s really good.
A great twist that probably won’t appeal to everyone
What kind of mechanic is that? With the weapons alone, you only cause little damage in the demo. To improve that, you have to hack the robot opponents with the android girl. This happens in real-time during the fight. If you aim with L2 (on the PS5 controller), a small screen with several tiles opens up on the left next to the opponent.
Using the face buttons (the X, square, circle, and triangle buttons), you move a symbol through the tiles. You see a target
that you need to hit. Along the way, there are tiles that give you a boost. Once you reach the target
, the opponent takes some damage and receives a small debuff, allowing you to deal more damage with your weapon.
While you try to hack the opponent, you can move, shoot, or dodge with the R1 button. Even though all of this sounds a bit clunky, after the first opponents, I was in the flow. It felt good and the hacking and shooting successes provided nice hit feedback.
A form of stress arose that reminded me of Resident Evil, without generating the same creepiness. You make small decisions in battle: Should I hack now? Do I take more buffs with me or finish hacking quickly? There is always a certain risk, but that’s why you can be rewarded greatly.
With one weapon, you could also briefly stun the opponents, which made hacking easier.
The demo also had a pleasant pacing. There were many quiet moments, and there were never too many opponents that overwhelmed me during hacking. It was important to keep an eye on the distances and your movement in space. The cold space station added an additional unique atmosphere.
An unusual but exciting mechanic
A mechanic that won’t appeal to everyone. It depends on the player type whether one is interested in this form of stress and multitasking. I found it really good, but I can also understand if players are deterred from it. A central point for the whole game will also be how the hacking evolves throughout the game.
In the demo, aspects were already seen that work out the principle a bit. The quantity and shape of the opponents must also be coordinated with it, but Capcom has experience with similar mechanics in series like Resident Evil.
As for me, I was thrilled and can well imagine that Pragmata could be a nice title in 2026 that I wish a large audience, as a new IP from Capcom almost always promises to do something interesting. If you’re interested in more classic shooters, Cinder City might be something for you: I thought a new MMO shooter would be like The Division, but suddenly I found myself in a creepy hospital like in Resident Evil
