Pragmata doesn't deal with 'things' that are so difficult that you have to think about them for a while. The overall story of the game is very ordinary and obvious enough that if you think about it a little, you can picture what follows. However, Pragmata portrayed that ordinary story in a beautiful and lyrical way by focusing on the relationship and character of the two main characters, Hugh and Diana.
And against the background of that story, a new type of battle goes on for about 10 hours, making you wonder if it's really possible to achieve the right balance. Some people will say that 10 hours of play time is too short. However, 10 hours is an appropriate time to complete one 'game' called Pragmata. It is neither short nor excessive.
This is enough time to fully immerse yourself in the two main characters, allowing you to fully feel every part of the new game called Pragmata.
# This review may contain some spoilers related to the overall play and content of Pragmata.
Diana and Hugh's packed two-person play
Before release, the most talked about issue in this game was ‘Diana’. The image of a cute little girl with blonde hair wearing a blue dress left such an impact on the minds of countless gamers.
And even at the time the game was released and even after its release, Diana was still talked about as the game's biggest mascot, feature, and everything.
It is clear that the character Diana is an outstanding characteristic element that cannot be left out of this game. Because of the character Diana, the game's story, battle core, flow, and even the ending were able to be completed beautifully.
However, Pragmata is definitely not a game where Diana is everything.
Pragmata could never have been completed without 'Hugh', an ordinary spaceman who was so ordinary that he didn't feel much significance even when he started playing.
Pragmata is clearly a game in which Hugh and Diana play co-lead roles in every aspect. Hugh and Diana are together in every aspect of what they tell, including the story, battles, and manipulation. Because there are two characters, there is pragmata.
While Diana is a very distinctive character, Hugh is a very ordinary character. However, the character Hugh was never pushed out or absorbed by the android named Diana, not even in battle or even in the story. Diana's character cannot be complete without a vacation.
The reason I'm talking about the relationship between the two main characters so much is because their relationship can be seen as an element and foundation that can ultimately explain all parts of this game.
Pragmata is a game where these two main characters are the core from beginning to end. The two main characters lead the story, and the two main characters lead the battle.
Although Eight, Hugh's colleagues at the beginning, and doctors and researchers appear in the game, their appearances are only used very fragmentarily. The game is played like a two-person play. The rest flows like a narration, like part of the background.
Even in battle, the two cannot exist apart from each other. Without Diana's abilities, Hugh cannot fully damage the enemy, and without Hugh, Diana cannot finish the enemy. The two abilities are connected, and although you can focus a little on one, you can never play the entire game with just that one.
Throughout the 10 hours of playtime, the story of the two unfolds on the screen, their conversation is heard, and the battle between the two progresses. Therefore, those of us who play the game can truly become completely immersed in Diana and Hugh, their situation, and their relationship. No, I have no choice but to immerse myself in it.
Ultimately, this sense of complete immersion delivers feelings of numbness, satisfaction, sadness, and indescribable emotions somewhere in the heart when the two-person play called Pragmata ends and the credits roll.
Perfect balance of shooting and hacking, and excellent combat design
The battle system also played a big role in allowing Pragmata to be completed as a complete two-person play. The two truly incompatible elements of puzzle and shooting have achieved a balance that is so new yet so appropriate that it doesn't go anywhere.
During the play process, the two elements are designed to be balanced to the point that if one of them is missing or lacking, the game will never be played properly. Shooting, which is a dynamic element, and puzzles, which are static elements, are unbalanced at first glance, but Pragmata has made that unbalance a feature and advantage of the game.
This is definitely not an easy task. Enemies keep attacking, and you have to dodge their attacks, hack, and inflict fatal damage by shooting. In particular, as the game progresses, not only do enemies become more powerful, but their attack methods also become more complex, and hacking, or puzzle elements, to reveal their weaknesses also become more complex.
If you just listen to it, it's so dizzy and embarrassing that you wonder if it's even playable. But surprisingly, when you play the game yourself, there are a lot of things to worry about, so although you may feel tired, it doesn't feel 'complicated'. All of the attack and defense processes are designed very systematically.
Create gaps in enemy attacks using a variety of weapons and proceed with hacking into the gaps created. If an enemy attack comes your way, simply dodge naturally and continue hacking again. In the process, pass through the hacking node that will be the most meaningful, and after hacking is completed, when the enemy's weakness is revealed, you can use the weapons again to attack the enemy with a strong attack.
What if you’re not confident in shooting? It's simple. You can make stronger hacking attacks by using guided missiles or increasing hacking damage by shooting. Conversely, what if you are not confident in hacking to solve puzzles? Simply select a combination that enhances shooting damage through the hacking node.
This series of processes unfolds for 10 hours so that you can climb straight up like stairs. As the chapter progresses, you gain new combat experience, and through that experience, you can tailor the combat combination and operation itself to suit you.
Boss battles are also part of that experience. It's the last staircase on each floor. New characteristic elements that appear in each chapter are expressed to their extreme during boss battles. There is definitely a gimmick to attack the boss, but the foundation is based on new elements unique to the chapter.
And we experienced that new element throughout the chapter. In the process, I found the play style and combination method that best suited me to solve this problem. In other words, hints for solving boss battles most efficiently are provided throughout the chapter.
Thanks to this, the boss battle is definitely difficult and tricky, but it is never excessive. You can quickly figure out how to lead a boss battle and how to attack it.
There is also a lot of play after the ending. First, Lunatic, a difficult difficulty, is unlocked, and a mode is created where additional elements appear at the ending along with new costumes by going back to just before the final battle and clearing hidden missions. Naturally, New Game+ is also opened here.
First of all, you can feel the developer's intention to learn about the game in the first play, become familiar with the entire play process, and then experience a full-fledged in-depth process.
Since the overall play time is not long, enjoying a new game through a new difficulty level is not too burdensome, and for those who want a quick challenge with a new weapon, there is also the option to return to just before the final battle. It's also interesting to be able to clear new challenges and missions in the process.
Playstyle? Make it ‘for real’ yourself
Pragmata is a very friendly game. Shooting, hacking, weapon types, and even modules are all harmoniously combined under one goal: ‘combat.’ Thanks to this, even people who are not familiar with shooting or puzzles can fully enjoy the battle that 'Fragmata' is trying to convey thanks to the help of all the elements.
Even if your aim is a little off, even if a large number of enemies come, even if you only have a few shots left in your weapon, or even if you have almost used up all the hacking nodes, there is no need to panic at all.
Pragmata took a lot of care to ensure that players can immerse themselves in the battle situation and fully enjoy the fun of the battle itself. In places where fierce battles will take place, various weapons and hacking nodes are already prepared, and this itself can be a hint about the battle situation.
Not only that. There are so many different elements in the game, such as weapons, modules, and hacking nodes, that you can maximize the characteristics of your fighting style according to the combination of equipment.
Shooting and hacking can be combined, or shooting can only be used as an auxiliary element to create hacking nodes and strengthen hacking. Of course, it is also possible to use hacking as an enhancement buff that increases shooting damage. As you go through battles and progress through the game, you can strengthen the aspects that are not burdensome to you through combinations.
Additionally, the difficulty of the game does not increase excessively or become excessively easy. Through meticulous design, it gives players just the right amount of time to adapt to the incongruous elements of shooting and puzzles.
As you become familiar with the basic combat system, enemies with advanced combat methods appear, and as you become more familiar with them, new weapons appear. If you find a combination that suits you, upgraded movement methods and puzzles will appear. Once you get used to it all, a new element called purification appears before your eyes along with unexpected distractions.
In a way, the overall game experience can be seen as capturing the process of becoming familiar with the three elements of 'shooting', 'puzzle', and 'movement'. Pragmata uses only three elements to make 10 hours of play feel new and not the same at all. And it doesn't even feel like too much on either side.
However, in the case of this step-by-step novelty, it can also be a factor that causes fatigue. When you become accustomed to one type of battle, new upgrade elements or obstacles appear, requiring additional time to adapt. In the meantime, upgrades are not initialized and resources are limited to proceed with all upgrades.
Ultimately, in order to get a new upgrade, you must clear a separate map for the challenges that exist in the game, or go back to the existing map during play and acquire missed farming elements. However, the game is not easy to play without upgrading everything and waiting for the last element to appear.
There is another thing that is disappointing in a similar way. The point is that collection affects the combination of combat elements. Specific weapons, nodes, and modules can only be opened by collecting coins, which are collection elements. If you just follow the main story of the game, it is impossible to open and experience all the relevant elements.
Since the overall level of immersion from the story to the play experience is really high, it would be quite disappointing to cut off this flow in the middle to collect something. Because the combat experience varies so much depending on the combination of the elements, it would have been better if all of these elements could be acquired naturally through the main flow.
Of course, there is no big problem in seeing the ending even if you just follow the main story without collecting anything. Collection is an additional element, and more diverse combinations are also an additional element. Just by playing the main flow, you can experience a variety of combinations and combat methods.
Lyricism and characters completed with graphics and sound
Naturally, the graphics and sound played the biggest role in maximizing the lyrical beauty conveyed by the game Pragmata.
Not only was the mysterious space called the moon created to be huge, overwhelming, desolate, and somehow alien and cool in line with the game's story, but the base, which is a background that can feel similar throughout, was implemented with different details in accordance with the contents of each chapter.
그중에서도 가장 인상적인 부분은 역시나 '우주'라는 부분을 플레이적으로 확실하게 느낄 수 있는 외부 공간이다.
달의 중력으로 인해 확연히 느려진 휴의 움직임, 훨씬 높고 멀리 이동할 수 있는 점프, 먹먹하게 들려오는 소리, 평소보다 천천히 나풀거리는 다이애나의 머리카락 등 눈으로 볼 수 있고 귀로 들을 수 있고 손으로 느낄 수 있는 요소들을 정말 뛰어나게 활용했다.
이 우주 공간, 그리고 달의 모습은 몰입도를 극한으로 끌어올려 게임의 엔딩 시점까지 그 서늘함과 아련함, 모든 요소를 기억에 남도록 이끌어냈다. 한동안 달과 지구의 모습을 보기만 해도 프래그마타가 떠오르고 눈물이 슬쩍 올라올 정도로.
달 기지 내부에서 마주한 바다 역시 그렇다. 황금빛으로 물든 노을지는 바다는 휴와 다이애나의 대화, 그들의 모습, 그리고 너무나 아름다운 BGM이 어우러져 보는 사람의 감정 어딘가를 건드린다.
프래그마타의 전반적인 스토리가 한편으로는 뻔하다고 할 수 있음에도, 플레이가 끝난 뒤 한참 동안 크레딧을 바라보며 듀얼센스를 꼭 쥐고 있게 만드는 여운을 주는 건 이런 뛰어난 그래픽과 사운드, 그리고 연출 덕분이 아닌가 싶다.
다이애나라는 캐릭터를 완벽하게 살려낸 것 역시 섬세하고 뛰어난 그래픽, 그리고 성우들의 열연이다.
움직임에 따라 한 올 한 올 흩날리는 머리카락, 즐거운 일이 생기면 활짝 웃으며 그 자리에서 방방 뛰는 귀여운 표정과 목소리, 지구로 가자는 휴의 말에 갸웃하면서도 행복해하는 모습, 그 천진하고 때로는 서글픈 다이애나의 모든 부분이 놀라울 정도로 뛰어난 그래픽과 성우의 연기로 표현됐다.
게임 초반, 다이애나와 휴의 만남이 이뤄지는 순간, 휴가 다이애나에게 이름을 지어준 그 순간 다이애나의 모습은 녹화한 영상을 몇 번을 돌려볼 정도로 귀엽고 천진하다. 이름을 가지게 된 안드로이드, 어린 소녀의 정체성을 가진 안드로이드가 얼마나 기쁘고 벅찬지 그 감정이 오롯하게 느껴진다.
그리고 게임은 다이애나의 모습을 그냥 '다이애나'만으로 그려내지 않았다. 셸터 곳곳을 뛰어다니고 구현된 REM 데이터들을 통해 그네도 타고 공도 던지고 TV도 보고 심지어 휴와 숨바꼭질을 하는 등 마치 진짜 어린아이처럼 뛰어노는 다양한 다이애나의 모습을 섬세하게 보여줬다.
뿐만 아니다. 다이애나의 캐릭터성은 그저 '귀엽게'에서 끝나지 않는다. 분명 인간과 구별할 수 없는 소녀의 모습이지만, 안드로이드로서의 특징이 드러나는 순간 눈동자 등의 외형과 함께 미세한 표정의 움직임 등도 모두 변화한다. 대화 과정에서도 다이애나는 천진한 목소리로 섬뜩한 문장을 때로 뱉어낸다.
휴의 경우 가장 빛을 발한 건 역시 성우의 연기다. 게임 내내 얼굴을 보여주는 장면이 손에 꼽을 정도로 적기에 휴의 감정을 우리가 알아차릴 수 있는 건 대부분 목소리를 통해서다. 그리고 이번에 플레이한 한국어 더빙판의 경우 게임의 마지막까지 온전히 몰입할 수 있을 정도로 성우의 연기가 뛰어났다.
슈팅과 퍼즐, 익숙한 두 요소가 결합되어 지루할 틈 없는 새로운 전투 방식을 끌어냈다. 그리고 휴와 다이애나, 인간과 안드로이드의 이야기가 뛰어난 그래픽과 사운드, 연기를 통해 깊숙한 여운을 남기며 그려졌다.
개인적으로 하나의 게임이 스토리에서도 플레이에서도 온전한 몰입도를 전달하는 건 정말 쉽지 않은 일이라고 생각한다.
하지만 프래그마타는 그걸 해냈다. 100%로 완벽하다고 할 순 없지만 두 가지 측면을 모두 만족스럽게, 뛰어나게 완성해냈다. 10시간 내외라는 아주 적절한 플레이타임을 통해 스토리와 플레이 경험, 두 가지 요소를 아주 적절하게 끊어냈다.
게임의 처음부터 끝까지 우리는 다이애나와 휴의 관계가 어떻게 시작되었고 어떻게 이어지는지를 경험한다. 전투도 그 경험의 일환이다. 슈팅과 해킹이라는 둘의 특징적인 요소가 마치 둘의 관계처럼 하나하나 점점 더 깊게 어우러진다. 그와중에 전투의 재미, 새로움, 몰입도도 뛰어나다.
프래그마타는 스토리도, 전투도, 탐험도 과하게 펼치지 않았다. 덕분에 플레이 내내 모든 면에서 늘어짐이 없다. 두 명의 주연에게 온전하게 집중해 모든 것을 적절하게 풀어나갔다.
The center of the story and the center of the battle are only Diana and Hugh. Pragmata is a very well-completed story about the two main characters.
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