The ‘Pragmata’ Demo Is Powerful Enough To Break Me Out Of My Gaming Funk

It evokes a time when I was much more excited about video games and the industry at large.

First things first: It’s amazing that “Pragmata” is a real video game on the verge of being published. Initially unveiled back in the heady days of the 2020 pandemic, Capcom went radio silent for about five years.

Considering the slow, silent death that “Deep Down” received over the PS4 generation, everybody expected “Pragmata” to be the same sad story.

As luck would have it, it reappeared in 2025, and it’s finally coming out on April 24, 2026. Heck, it even has a playable demo that kicks ass. This is a real deal video game. Good on Capcom.

At the end of our recent “Cairn” stream (embedded below), I played through most of the “Pragmata” demo for the first time. While livestreaming a game you’ve never played before is a formula for disaster, I was quickly able to figure out the basics and start having a good time.

Jared definitely wasn’t convinced, but the core loop of effectively casting ELECTRONIC LEET HAXOR SPELLS with the face buttons while performing classic third-person shooter stuff with the sticks and shoulder buttons was surprisingly entertaining.

I was vaguely interested in it as a weird new sci-fi game that had no connection to other INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY™ before, but getting my sweaty streaming hands on it actually got me properly excited about a new game for the first time in 2026.

I’ve been enjoying “Final Fantasy VII Remake” on the Switch 2, and I’ve been chipping away at “Cairn,” but nothing was moving me to daydream or obsessively monitor a ResetEra thread. Finally, that has changed.

It’s a very short demo that invites you to play it over and over, but that slim sliver of gameplay made me feel like the good old days when games like “Pragmata” were more common.

The PS3 and 360 era was far from perfect, but you cannot possibly accuse the studios at the time of not taking big swings. An oddball puzzle-shooter with a robo-girl climbing on you like Yoda fits right in with 2010, but it’s almost confusing at this point.

It’s almost certainly not going to be the next “Mass Effect,” but there is a throwback charm on display here that makes me look forward to playing a video game again. Thanks for seeing this one through, Capcom! I can’t wait to see if it sticks the landing in April.

Image credit: “Pragmata,” Capcom