Pragmata Review (Switch 2)

The arrival of a new Capcom title is always worthy of fanfare. When it’s a new IP launching simultaneously on a Nintendo console, it becomes a real cause for celebration. Pragmata joins Resident Evil Requiem in the ranks of heavy hitters running like a dream on Switch 2. The game has been steadily gaining hype since its announcement in 2020 and, when the demo dropped on the eShop in February, it showcased a unique, puzzle-infused spin on third-person shooting and gorgeous sci-fi aesthetics.

Pragmata’s Lunar Colony is a bright, vibrant setting that recalls the future-tech maximalism of genre classics like PlatinumGame’s Vanquish. The lavish art style will be familiar to fans of director Yonghee Cho’s work, whose credits include hyper-stylised Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, NieR Automata, and Resident Evil 3.

The gigantic lunar research facility is a locale that seems rife with technological promise when a dispatch team lands to investigate a comms disruption. A hub for Lunafilament production, which is basically 3D printing crossed with the holodeck from Star Trek (“These people sure love printing,” one character exclaims), it doesn’t take long for them to realise that something has gone horribly wrong.

Separated from the rest of his squad when the proverbial hits the fan, Hugh Williams meets an android in the form of a little girl. With her ability to weaken the hostile automatons that seem to want Hugh dead, the two join forces to escape the facility.

Far more than a gimmick to drive the innovative combat system, Diana (the name granted by her new guardian) becomes central to the narrative. Pragmata’s story is pushed along by the growing relationship between genuine nice bloke Hugh and his precocious young protectee. Frequent stops along their journey see Diana learning life lessons from Hugh’s homespun anecdotes. These moments are always a treat and you’ll want to seek out every opportunity for the pair to bond.

There’s a story outside of this buddy road trip, a mystery to unravel about what happened on the Lunar facility, along with an antagonist in the form of rogue AI IDUS. Still, the relationship between the protagonists is what really pulls you in.

This isn’t just a father/daughter bonding simulator, however, and Diana’s role as ward is secondary to her combat utility. She rides around on Hugh’s back and can hack any device or enemy in the vicinity. Hugh’s weapons, particularly his base pistol, deal very little damage on their own. Once enemies have been hacked by Diana, they become far more vulnerable to incoming fire. How you achieve this is the game's central hook.

Aiming down the sights brings up a square grid filled with nodes. Navigating this grid with the face buttons and activating as many nodes as possible on the way to a goal node will break the enemy’s defence. This is Hugh’s cue to start shooting.

Crucially, hacking does not pause the action. Hugh can still move and dodge during a hack, so spatial awareness is essential. This hybrid juggle is tense and often fiddly to pull off, but it becomes deeply satisfying once you find a groove and start taking out crowds of enemies with ease. In many ways, the dual offence recalls Switch classic (and another Platinum gem) Astral Chain, which also featured multitasking combat at its core.

You'll find different types of nodes to equip throughout the game, and you can upgrade Diana to carry multiple. One might freeze an enemy in place, while another causes them to attack other robots. Best of all is a finisher node that leaves tin cans vulnerable to a stylish execution. Node types add a welcome sense of progression to the hacking that complements the usual base stat upgrades.

Hugh can also equip mods that cater to specific playstyles, whether that means higher offence or defence, long or short range damage, or general crowd control. Loadouts provide versatility and offer multiple ways to approach a new enemy type or a tricky boss fight.

Because weaponry plays second fiddle to hacking, the selection of guns is quirkier than usual. Alongside the standard pistol, AR, and shotgun variants, there is utility ordnance such as the stasis gun, which slows enemy approach, and a decoy launcher that draws enemies in, leaving them vulnerable to a multi-hack. Like everything else in your arsenal, weapon loadouts are ripe for experimentation.

As you push through the diverse biomes of the lunar facility, you will be taking frequent breaks in the Shelter. This cosy hub area is a feature-packed break room where you can kick back, upgrade, and travel to previously visited locations across the base. You can kit the shelter out with distractions for Diana, take part in VR training, and pump coins into a bingo board system that rewards outfits, mods, and hack nodes.

It might sound like there are a lot of systems to contend with in Pragmata, and there are times when things threaten to get a bit messy over its 10-15 hour length. Still, there is a sense of momentum to the pacing that's never hampered by loadout swapping or collectible hunting. Some of the boss fights feel like damage sponges, even with upgraded hacking and souped up versions of Hugh’s more destructive weaponry. Yet every minor frustration is offset by a spectacular set piece, visually stunning environment, or a cute exchange between Hugh and Diana.

Easily the most satisfying thing about Pragmata is how well it performs on Switch 2. Following the triumphant release of Requiem, this is yet another showcase for the RE Engine and its ability to showcase an impressive undocked experience. VRR helps delivers a stable handheld mode and the game's bright visual style makes it easy on the eye.

Performance is equally consistent when docked, with only a slight blurry effect. There are some visual sacrifices, like Diana's hair physics and some dimly lit interiors, but the stability more than makes up for the slightly lower visual quality.

Audio is sharp in both modes. From Diana successfully popping a hack to Hugh’s thruster assisted dodge, everything is designed to spike endorphins. There are multiple voice tracks, and both the English and Japanese performances of the protagonists shine. Gyro controls are available, but some Switch 2 native features are sadly lacking; the omission of mouse controls stings, as it would be well suited to the combat.