When Pragmata was first revealed back in 2020, players were ecstatic. The announcement trailer's sci-fi setting is complimented with enough of Capcom's trademark strangeness that just begs for more details to be revealed about the game. Add in the fact that the trailer features a cute child playing with what looks like a cyborg cat and Pragmata already has some good marketing material under its belt.
Sadly, the game has already been delayed not once but twice. After its original 2022 release date was pushed back to sometime in 2023, the recent Capcom showcase unveiled that Pragmata would be pushed back indefinitely. While this may normally not bode well for an upcoming game, Capcom was kind enough to soften the blow with some gameplay footage. While fighting robots and various mechs is at the heart of the latest trailer, Pragmata also showed hints that its story would share elements with Naughty Dog's own The Last Of Us.
Pragmata Looks Like It Will Focus On A Surrogate Relationship
Though Pragmata looks very similar to Kojima Productions' Death Stranding, the trailers that have been released focus on an astronaut-like figure and a little girl whom he calls "Diana" in the recent trailer. Diana is obviously not human. Her strange attire, obliviousness to her surroundings, and robotic tone of voice all point to her being similar to the cyborg cat from the announcement trailer. Add all this to the fact that she aids the player character by using a strange holographic interface and Diana is going to play a big part in the game's story.
The astronaut players will be controlling is the antithesis of Diana. Unlike her, he is focused, dressed for combat and looks like he can handle his own in a fight. Despite their differences, the astronaut and Diana seem to be working together toward a common goal. To this end, the astronaut carries Diana on his back during gameplay and protects her from threats. Diana, on the other hand, uses her special powers to augment the astronaut's gear and will most likely help him in other ways.
The Last Of Us's Joel And Ellie Have A Relationship Similar To Pragmata's Main Duo
The world Joel and Ellie inhabit may be more grounded than Capcom's upcoming sci-fi game but the protagonists still share a lot in common with Pragmata's astronaut and Diana. Both pairs are beset by seemingly impossible odds and must find a way to work together to achieve their goals. Along the way, these characters form an unlikely alliance that may or may not evolve into a more familial relationship.
While Joel and Pragmata's astronaut are more grounded and experienced when it comes to surviving, Ellie and Diana provide an air of levity and different kinds of strengths that remind their partners what it means to rely on others. Ellie may not have Diana's special powers but her immunity to the Cordyceps fungus and determination to make it mean something pushes Joel to care about something other than himself. What little is shown of the relationship between Pragmata's astronaut and Diana also shows that the two are trying their best to get along.
Though it remains to be seen if Pragmata's astronaut and Diana are related (this could be the reason why he cares for her so much), hints of their strong relationship have already been established. Even if Diana isn't related to the player character, there is a chance that a deeper relationship could develop between the two as it did for The Last Of Us's iconic surrogate duo. Anything seems possible in the world of Pragmata, so a surrogate father-daugther combo wouldn't be the weirdest thing to come out of the game.
Pragmata is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
