If you think Pragmata looks like another plodding sci-fi shooter, then you’re dead wrong: this is one of the most promising TPS titles we’ve previewed in years.

The game, originally announced alongside the PS5 and delayed heavily in the years since, revolves around one crucial gameplay mechanic: hacking.

As the hulky spaceman Hugh, you’re equipped with a traditional array of combat tools: you have a Dead Space-style plasma cutter, a thruster-powered dodge, and a jet pack you can use to feather your jumps.

But the main character is incapable of inflicting much damage on his own – he needs the help of Diana, a bare-footed, blonde-haired M3GAN lookalike who he allies with on a lunar station far away from Earth.

And here’s the bit that takes the game from good to great: each time you aim with the L2 trigger, a hacking minigame not massively dissimilar to The Assembly Line’s legendary Pipe Mania will appear on the screen.

You’ll use the face buttons to control a cursor from a starting point to an end point, avoiding obstacles and picking up power-ups along the way. It’s not essential to pick up the power-ups, but if you do, you’ll inflict additional damage. Once completed, your foe will be incapacitated, allowing Hugh to take them down.

So the gameplay becomes a dance across the DualSense, as you target your cyborg adversaries, dash out of their way, and simultaneously disrupt their circuitry. It takes the traditional third-person shooter and nudges it somewhere different.

New tools introduced during our demo expand on the complexity: a stasis tool allows you to stop enemies in their tracks, giving you time to hack other enemies on the screen. Each enemy has a unique hacking grid, with new power-ups appearing within it adding to the puzzle-like nature of the combat.

It’s a unique gimmick but it sings in your hands; haptic feedback makes each hack feel meaningful, and the controls have been honed in such a way that there’s a rhythmic flair to the gameplay.

The ramp-up is also expertly executed: as we added shotguns and other utilities to Hugh’s arsenal, we immediately found uses for them all. While we didn’t see it during our demo, we’re assuming the full game will feature a skill tree and even more weapons to more uniquely tailor your approach.

While we’re less enthusiastic about the story, it’s clear that Capcom is putting all of its energy into the combat here – an aspect it’s been excelling at for several years now. We can certainly imagine how the complexity of the hacking will bring different challenges to the campaign over time.

So all of the delays have worked in Pragmata’s favour, then? We definitely think the Japanese publisher’s making something you shouldn’t sleep on here.

While it’ll draw comparisons to the likes of Dead Space, Binary Domain, and even Vanquish, there’s a gimmick here that makes it truly original. We’d highly recommend adding it to your wishlist ahead of its release in 2026.

Are you sold on Pragmata? Are you intrigued by its unique third-person combat system? What else do you think Capcom needs to show or announce to convince you this game’s going to be a great? Please don’t hack Push Square in the comments section below.