It's not very far in Pragmatics dropping you into battle as Hugh Williams and his capable AI sidekick Diana, the game's titular pragmatist, you must quickly master the delicate balance between hacking enemy robots and blasting them to pieces that make up the game's combat.
Use Diana's hacking abilities to open up enemies to attack (albeit a bit more aggressive in exchange for convenience) and follow up with Hugh's ever-growing arsenal to take out the multitude of enemy bots you encounter in Pragmata. Mastering balance early is key!
Hack enemies to open them up and deal damage
One of the many things that sets Pragmata apart from other games like it is the fact that you will be working with Diana to hack enemies before Hugh fires his weapons to do more direct damage, making for a hell of a combo of tech and firepower! Finding a balance between dealing damage with your hacking and using the best charges to get the most out of your direct attack power is key to smoothly moving across the moon and helping Hugh make contact with Earth.
Pragmata is a triumphant tale of love, grief and learning to leave things behind
Capcom's first new IP in decades is a wonderfully adorable sci-fi adventure.
When you target any enemyyou will see that a the grid appears on the right side of your screen, that's where you'll control Diana as she works her way through the grid, complete a short maze to deal damage when hacking enemies in Pragmata. While these grids start out relatively small and straightforward, you'll find that they grow and change shape before long, adding obstacles and hacking nodes and more once you get the hang of hacking.
Fixed you don't need to hack an enemy to hit itit's usually not a bad idea to do so. Although Hugh can always use his weapons to fire at the enemy IDUS robots, you will be able to hack enemies to deal damage from afar and potentially even stagger them so they don't hit you back. Hacked enemies are considered Open after being hacked and will be more susceptible to firepower damage from Hugh's weapon units for a time.
You have to balance your attentionhowever, since the bots won't freeze when hacking unless you've used any of your weapons or hacks to hold them in place. Avoid enemies as you hack them to gain the benefits of opening them up to further harm in order to keep Hugh and Diana as safe as possible in such a dangerous place as the moon.
The mazes are ready when you navigate to the green mark on the grid dealing with the damage that Diana charges up with extra damage is added per blue grid you pass along the way, not to mention any of the various hacking nodes you've added to your loadout for each area. Land on the green grid to launch the hack attack and follow up with the right kind of firepower to bring down the strongest enemies in Pragmata.
For a more complete look at a mechanic as dense as progressively more complicated as hacking in Pragmata, check out our complete guide to hacking.
Units are both weapons and defenses
While getting a handle on hacking in Pragmata is definitely critical to your success in battle, it's not the only element of the game, as you'll also have a variety of arms for Hugh to use to provide backup for these hacks, follow up Diana's computer-based damage with direct gunfire.
Called as Unitsthere are dozens of unit types to unlock throughout the game, although they will all be categories like one of four device types in the game.
-
On top of the loading screen will always be Hugh's Primary device is a default gun that will always remain, constantly charging after you've emptied the clip into the enemies at hand. You'll get different options as you progress through the main story, and you can't unlock new ones until you progress to said point.
-
To left on the loading screen is yours Attack unitthe amount of more powerful weapons with more limited ammo you unlock as you go. Each sector will have a handful of new weapon blueprints that you can find, unlock, and craft at the unit printer in the shelter, and you won't be able to add them to your loadout until you've printed them yourself. Once printed, these weapons can be added to your loadout at any time, and you can also further upgrade them from the Unit Printer.
-
Opposite the D unit on Right of your charge in Pragmata is yours Tactical unitan auxiliary unit that can provide a variety of aids depending on which device you have slotted for each block. These will be your support units that can do things like freeze enemies in place, reduce the size of your hacking net, and more. They are much less one-size-fits-all than other parts of your loadout, so you have to find which ones work best for your playstyle.
-
Finally, the bottom part of your loading screen is Defensive unita series of gear that offers a range of defense increases which can really make all the difference in battle. Cover Hugh and Diana with decoys and drones and so much more, use your limited ammo wisely to make the most of each deployment.
Although you will always have a primary device on each charge, stopping to change Hugh's charge in Pragmata before boarding the tram to the next sector ahead will be key to making the smoothest progress on your missions on the moon.
The earliest sectors of the game don't leave much wiggle room, but as you unlock new gear or better hacks, you'll want to make sure you're change Hugh's charge as needed before leaving the shelter each time you venture out – what worked in one sector may not be best for the next sector.
When unlocking the schedule for new units in Pragmata, make sure to always print new units on the Unit Printer to allow them to attach to your charge permanently. While you will be able to replenish ammo and firepower periodically through enemy dropsespecially tougher enemies in group fights where you quickly use up your best weapons, it's best to come prepared as much as possible from the top if you know what to expect.
You'll find an exit back to the Shelter before every major fight in the game, so if there's a relatively easy hack ahead of you and an exit nearby, it's a good idea to head back to the Shelter to unlock new upgrades, perform Firmware updates, save the game manually, and more.
Pragmata Easter Egg merges two of Capcom's biggest games into one
It looks like Pragmata continues Capcom's tradition of referencing other games.
Overview of charging
When using the loadout screen in Pragmata, you may be overwhelmed at first by how many options it seems there are, but these customizable loadouts for each sector are here to help customize the battle more to your likingbecause there is no right way to play the game as long as you progress through the story, after all.
The first part of your loading screen in Pragmata is dedicated customize which devices Hugh has on hand before setting off for the next section of sector exploration ahead. You'll be able to swap out your primary, attack, tactical and defense units alike in this menu, with every item you currently have unlocked available at a glance for you to compare and contrast. You can initially only bring one of each unit type, but later upgrades will greatly expand your Pragmata arsenal as you progress through the main story.
Below the units in the first part of your Pragmata loading screen is where you come select a handful of hacking nodes available immediately when you enter the sector after the tram journey ahead. These are the yellow nodes you'll see around hacking nets in the upcoming battles, which you'll pass through to get all sorts of benefits from your hacking past just by doing good damage to the bots. You can use them to damage multiple enemies at once, deal extra damage, confuse bots into fighting other bots on your behalf, and more.
The next section from the main loading screen, between loading weapons and hacking and the finalization button where you choose to ride a tram is where you equip mods that give Hugh all kinds of stat boosts. There are four types of mods – Attack, Hacking, Defense and Support – that you can choose from, so weigh up what kind of perks you want for the area in front of you. There are dozens of mods available, so mix and match to find what mod combinations work best for you.
Upgrades are available at the Unit Printer in the Shelter that allow you to equip both extra mods and extra hacking nodes on your charges as you progress through the story in Pragmata. They'll often cost both Pure Lunum and Lunafilament to unlock, but they're more than worth the cost of doing so, adding tons of bonus features to your loadouts that might just give you the edge you need in the tougher fighters in the game.
Pragmata's review score among the highest in 2026
Capcom's new IP looks set to be a hit as it registers some of the biggest reviews of the year so far.
