There’s an iconic moment in Terminator 2: Judgement Day that, very unexpectedly, I was reminded of while playing Pragmata. In it, the T-800 attempts to mimic a human being’s smile. It’s a disarming scene that humanizes a character who has otherwise been depicted as a highly efficient and cold killing machine.
The same kind of endearing charm permeates the dynamic between Pragmata’s two lead characters, Hugh and Diana, and it was disarming in a similar way. After a few hours with the game, I walked away surprisingly invested in the story and characters of a game that, thus far, felt like those things were incidental to the gameplay. My demo was littered with moments that, like the T-800’s awkward smile, cast both characters in a new light, giving them depth and nuance that I hadn’t previously expected.
Hugh, an engineer of sorts, is trying to figure out what transpired on a lunar research station overrun by hostile AI. Diana is an android who looks, behaves, and, for the most part, thinks like a seven-year-old girl. Since she has limited data, Hugh becomes a window into humankind for her, but she also holds a mirror up to who he is and the experiences that have shaped him in a way that only children can.
This preview sounds intriguing! It’s always exciting to see how classic elements are reimagined in modern games. Looking forward to seeing more about Pragmata and its unique take on the genre!