With just a month to go until Pragmata launches on PlayStation 5 on April 17, I had the chance to spend a few hours trying out the game at a recent press event.
Diana’s hacking abilities and Hugh’s arsenal
This hands-on preview was set in the New York-like cityscape shown during February’s State of Play, allowing players to explore, fight, and upgrade as they pushed toward a boss waiting at the end.
Hugh can equip a variety of guns to blast away at enemy “bots,” but their tough armor means regular shots don’t do much on their own. That’s where Diana’s hacking skills come in.
When Hugh locks onto a target, Diana pulls up a grid-style Hacking Panel. Drawing a single continuous line through the blue squares triggers a successful hack, dealing damage and temporarily compromising the enemy’s armor. The more squares you connect, the greater the damage and the longer the armor stays disabled. Once their weak points are exposed, you can unleash Hugh’s firepower for some serious damage.
That said, enemies won’t just wait around while you’re hacking. You must stay sharp, deciding whether to push your luck and connect more blue squares or cut it short to dodge incoming attacks.
Break through shields and dodge missiles that disrupt hacking
Some enemy bots are protected by red, shield-like barriers that make them immune to Diana’s hacking. These shields can be destroyed with Hugh’s gun or other attacks, opening the enemy up to hacking once they’re taken down. You’ll be forced to prioritize either hacking or gunfire based on each encounter.
Some enemies fire homing missiles at Hugh, but those can be hacked as well. A successful hack allows you to take control and redirect the missile straight back to its sender.
Master four weapon types
Hugh has access to four types of guns. Aside from the Primary Unit, each weapon breaks once its ammo runs out, so you’ll need to be strategic about when to use them.
Landing well-timed combos, like pinning enemies down with the Tactical Unit, hacking them mid-fight, and then finishing them off at close range with the high-powered Attack Unit, feels incredibly rewarding. The Defense Unit, which can lure enemies away, also comes in handy in all kinds of situations.
Amplify your hacking abilities with the Hacking Node
If you’re carrying a Hacking Node, yellow tiles will appear on Diana’s Hacking Panel. Connecting these and completing a hack will trigger special effects. These range from Decode, which lowers enemy defense, to Multi-Hack, which spreads the effect to nearby targets. Each use consumes one Hacking Node, and once you run out, these perks can no longer be activated.
In the full release, various upgrades and customization options will let you carry multiple Hacking Nodes, which will significantly increase tactical versatility.
Gear upgrades and gameplay loop
The Shelter is a safe haven where you can heal your health and use materials you’ve gathered, such as Lunafilament, to unlock new abilities or enhance your weapons and Hacking Nodes.
Once you unlock the Critical Down Node, you’ll be able to knock down weakened enemies and follow up with a strong melee attack, making combat more fluid and intense. Be sure to upgrade and customize your loadout regularly to stay prepared as you venture deeper into the Sectors.
Epic battles against colossal enemy bots
After plenty of upgrades and customizations along the way, I found myself facing off against an enormous bot at the end of the demo. While the core gameplay of hacking and shooting remained the same, this encounter definitely raised the stakes with various area-of-effect attacks and multiple shields that blocked hacking attempts.
Hacking under heavy fire proved challenging, but progress wasn’t lost even when I pulled back to evade, giving me room to calmly finish the hack bit by bit. Having to choose when to break the red shields and shift into offense mode added another layer of tactical depth.
Just when I thought the fight was finally over and I was savoring my victory, a sudden hacking prompt triggered mid-cutscene; a final reminder that this game doesn’t let up until the very end.
Pragmata delivers a unique gameplay experience that fuses shooting action with puzzle mechanics. I’m excited to see how the full release expands on the game’s tactical depth.
