Pragmatics might not get the same love that other 2026 hits like Resident Evil Requiembut it still got a good bit of traction, especially for a new IP. To be more specific, Pragmatics has cult classic written all over it, and it's not hard to see why its characters, world design, lore, and gameplay have appealed to so many.
It's a weird one, though, to the point where a non-negligible percentage of Pragmatics discourse has centered on half-joking, half-serious questions about its Hideo Kojima influence. You can see the similarity: Pragmatics set in a strange near-future world with magic-adjacent technology, its gameplay is flexible and unconventional, and its sleek, bulky moonpunk aesthetic feels like it could have come from Metal Gear Creator. Many believed that the marketing took a little after the auteur's own methods as well. Even the costume worn by PragmaticsThe main character feels like it could be let in Death Stranding and no one would bat an eye. Of course Kojima did not work on Pragmaticsand having played most of the game myself, I have to say that it's actually not that surprising.
6 things that make Hideo Kojima games unique
When you jump into a new game, there are always some dead giveaways that it was designed by Hideo Kojima
Is Pragmata a “Kojima-like”?
Although I certainly understand why some players might draw parallels between them Pragmatics and games like Death StrandingI think most of these connections are redundant or exaggerated. There are some broad aesthetic and narrative elements shared by Pragmatics and Kojima's most famous IP addresses, but these don't quite penetrate the surface level. For example, Pragmaticss mechs are similar to those found in some Metal Gear games, but also in various anime and manga, e.g The Gospel and Mobile Suit Gundam.
Scratch & Peek
Identify the wrapper while scraping off as little foil as possible.
Start
Identify the wrapper while scraping off as little foil as possible.
EasyMediumHardPermadeath
In general, there's a tendency to conflate “weird” and “Kojima-inspired” when it comes to games. For many gamers, especially those less familiar with Kojima, weirdness may actually be the defining characteristic of his work. And while I'm not arguing for it both Pragmatics and Kojima's portfolio are weird, they're weird in different ways. A series that Metal Gear is about complex techno-political commentary, and is in many ways very bleak and depressing. Pragmatics touches on darker themes as well, but it's far more about swashbuckling adventure and heroism than cerebral, compulsively detailed musings on war, identity, governance or the afterlife.
Pragmata is much more like Yoko Taro's work than Hideo Kojima's
If you're looking for a cultural touchstone to measure against Pragmaticsdon't look at Hideo Kojima – look at Yoko Taro. Best known for creating Dragon Guard and NieR Tarot's games are characterized by their impeccable, flamboyant style, unusual but fast-paced battles, and deceptively complex fictional worlds. If you have just played Pragmaticsthese descriptions may sound familiar to you. Ultimately, Pragmatics is much more similar NieR: Automata than anything else in Kojima's catalog.
What is particularly worth honing is Pragmaticss presentation and delivery. In a Kojima game, monologues or exceptionally long cutscenes might tell players more than they need to know sometimes; this kind of exposition overload is one of Kojima's most polarizing tendencies. But Yoko Taro prefers to drop players into a bizarre world, not necessarily draw attention to its alien nature, and let them put the pieces together themselves. This kind of stark objectivity, conveyed as a lack of self-awareness, defines Tarot's game, as does the precariously quirky, handsome. Pragmatics.
Whether influenced by Kojima or Taro, Pragmata is amazing
It's fun to compare different things – we wouldn't have metaphors and similes if it weren't – but such thinking can also be limiting. At the end of the day, PragmaticsThe strength lies in the fact that it's trying something new, not aping another game's mechanics or identity. I could compare the game to the works of not only Kojima and Taro, but also PlatinumGames founder Hideki Kamiya, and even the growing portfolio of Stellar Blade director Kim Kyung-tae — but to do so would be reductive. Yes, Pragmatics has a lot in common with these games and others, but its puzzle-battle gameplay, simple but inspired level design, and rewarding building system, among others, combine to set it apart.
In other words, Pragmatics has the X-factor that franchises like Metal Gear so persistent, even after so many years without new posts. Perhaps the biggest similarity Pragmatics has to such titles is its uniqueness, and perhaps, the feeling that, some gaming audiences have drawn a connection between it and Kojima's work. But this connection is more spiritual or theoretical than literal and quantifiable. You can call it creativity, but all video game teams are fundamentally creative. I would better classify this quality as bravery, the courage to stick with bold, uncertain and/or “weird” ideas, rather than following trends or playing things too safe. It's unfortunately an uncommon practice in the entertainment world, but as an unabashed Kojima fan, I certainly encourage it.
- Released
-
April 17, 2026
- ESRB
-
Teen/language, violence, in-game purchases
