Emboldened by years of success, Capcom's risky 360-era shooter dares to tackle sci-fi shooter convention in a proudly experimental gamble.
The human brain is divided into two hemispheres; the left brain and the right brain.
To put it unscientifically and very simply, the left hemisphere manages language and logic, and the right hemisphere specialises in spatial awareness and intuition.
I have long been an advocate of video games for activating both sides of the brain: engaging creatively with problem-solving and applying logic whilst also using your hands to dexterously and precisely engage with a platform has been proven to encourage brain thickening in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
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That is to say: games make you smart.
Pragmata, somehow, manages to take this concept to some sort of illogical conclusion.
The core conceit of this game - outside of the weirdly beautiful story about loneliness in space, what it is to be human, and the perils of rampant, irresponsible usage of AI - is that you control a human and a robot, and must engage in action-packed skirmishes whilst shooting, dodging, and solving grid-based puzzles, all at the same time.
A 'hacking grid' pops up when you aim at an enemy, and from there you must strafe, hit weak spots, jump or dodge attacks, and work out the most efficient way to disable robot foes in a melee of sparks, shells, and sabotage.
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It's a workout for your frontal cortex, an adventure for your adrenal glands, and a party for your fingers all at once.
It's compelling, unusual, and moreish.
The action, and what it does to your brain, carries a very mediocre story with ease.
It makes Pragmata unique, even if in many ways it feels like a throwback to the Xbox 360-era of third-person shooters.
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In the first few hours alone, I had flashbacks to Watch Dogs, Vanquish, Lost Planet, Gears of War, and Dead Rising
## Editor's Note
We'll have to wait and see how this plays out in the coming weeks.
Source: [Eurogamer](https://www.eurogamer.net/pragmata-review)