'Pragmata' director Yonghee Cho on creating Capcom’s resonant sci-fi lunar adventure (interview)

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Capcom's "Pragmata" is one of the most well-received sci-fi video games of 2026, with critics and players unanimously praising its soulful storyline, vivid environments, and captivating characters. The engaging adventure narrative is centered around the systems engineer spaceman Hugh Williams, who links up with a resourceful robotic girl named Diana, and together they join forces to survive a lethal standoff at a lunar research station controlled by a rogue AI.

Directed by Yonghee Cho and written by Haruo Murata, "Pragmata" launched on April 17 for PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2. The unlikely pair of characters must fend off hostile robots and mutating creatures in a quest to return to planet Earth. "Pragmata's" touching father-daughter bonding tale and lush cinematic worldbuilding have already pleased legions of patient fans.

We connected with game director Yonghee Cho ("Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance," "Resident Evil 3") to learn of the ambitious project's genesis, found family themes, its mechanics, transportive music, and emotional core.

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"The colors of the two characters, white and blue, represent the Moon and Earth, respectively,"

"Designing something new as a creator is incredibly exciting, but at the same time, it’s an extremely challenging endeavor," Cho tells Space.

"Especially for a brand-new IP, it’s not enough for it to simply be new; it must have value, appeal, and provide enjoyment to audiences around the world. That means the game must be designed not only to be innovative, but it also needs to make that inventiveness easy for players to understand and embrace. I believe the greatest challenge in this project was refining its original game mechanics. We made countless iterations, adjusting and polishing the gameplay so it would feel approachable and genuinely fun to play."

"Pragmata's" “hacking × shooting” action gameplay was conceived to be most enjoyable when players think strategically regarding how to strike down enemies as efficiently as possible by using all the abilities available to them.

Pragmata - Main Trailer | PS5 Games - YouTube Watch On

"In the middle of intense combat, making proper use of everything available to you – such as dodging an enemy attack with your thrusters, hacking them, and then finishing them off with a variety of weapons – delivers moments of catharsis that is unique to 'Pragmata,'" he adds. "Personally, I am especially fond of the stylish thruster mechanic 'Fast Moves,' which adds a slow-motion effect if you dodge right before an enemy attack."

Cho explains that from a design perspective, Hugh and Diana were created as a single entity. However, from a strict gaming experience, players feel as though they're controlling the abilities of two totally different characters at once.

"Through these character designs, we wanted to evoke the question: 'What does it mean to be human?'"

"At first glance, Diana might appear to be a supporting character, but she's actually one of the main characters and is extremely important," he reveals. "Because of that, it was essential to give her bright, colorful, and highly noticeable colors that stand out clearly from backgrounds and the surrounding environment. An important point of focus was making Diana a character who doesn't feel like a burden – even if she has the appearance of a child – and instead making her a character you want to have around."

Beyond looking cool, there's some celestial symbolism to the duo's designs, too. "The colors of the two characters, white and blue, represent the Moon and Earth, respectively," explains Cho. "Diana is an android born on the Moon, but she was given a blue color scheme to symbolize childlike curiosity and hope. As a result, Diana, despite being an android, comes across as more human, while Hugh can appear more robotic, creating a deliberate sense of contrast. Through these character designs, we wanted to evoke the question: 'What does it mean to be human?'"

Because of his age, Cho admits to being heavily influenced by 1980s and 1990s Hollywood films, Japanese manga, and video games, and that era’s essence of romance and energy, something composer Yasumasa Kitagawa's score reflects.

Synopsis – Yasumasa Kitagawa | PRAGMATA Original Soundtrack (Track 05) - YouTube Watch On

"Although 'Pragmata' is set in space – specifically, on the Moon – it places less emphasis on grand, epic sci-fi and instead focuses more on the drama created through the relationship between the main characters," Cho notes.

"One of the most important elements of the game was incorporating a vocal track that would leave a lingering emotional impression. I felt that a piano melody would perfectly suit the loneliness of space, so I requested he create a melancholic piece centered around the piano. Thanks to Mr. Kitagawa's exceptional sense and talent, the song ultimately took its current form.

"Separate from the main theme, the combat music you hear during fights with Bots was composed to contrast with the warmth of Hugh and Diana's relationship. By using metallic, heavy, and tension‑filled music, we aimed to create an atmosphere that felt like it contributed to Hugh and Diana's strengthening resolve to work together.”

"Pragmata" is available now for PS5, Windows, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2

Pragmata: $59.99 at Amazon

Capcom’s newest IP, PRAGMATA, is an all-new sci-fi action-adventure game with unique hacking gameplay. Set on the moon in the near future, the story follows an unlikely duo on a mission to escape a lunar station controlled by a hostile station AI.

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Jeff SpryContributing Writer

Jeff Spry is an award-winning screenwriter and veteran freelance journalist covering TV, movies, video games, books, and comics. His work has appeared at SYFY Wire, Inverse, Collider, Bleeding Cool and elsewhere. Jeff lives in beautiful Bend, Oregon amid the ponderosa pines, classic muscle cars, a crypt of collector horror comics, and two loyal English Setters.