Does Pragmata earn its Hideo Kojima-style weirdness?

progenitor May not get as much love as other 2026 hits Resident Evil requestsBut it still gained traction pretty well, especially for a new IP. To be more specific, progenitor It has cult classic written all over it, and it's not hard to see why its characters, world design, lore, and gameplay have appealed to so many.

It is a strange, though, to the point where a non-negligible percentage of progenitor The discourse centered on a half-joking, half-polite question about its Hideo Kojima influence. You can see the similarity: progenitor Set in a strange near-future world with magic-rich technology, its gameplay is flexible and unconventional, and its sleek, big moonpunk aesthetic makes everyone feel like they could have come from it. metal gear the creator Many believed that its marketing took some time even after the author's own methods. Even a suit progenitorWho thinks the hero can be left in it Death Stranding And no one will bat an eye. Of course, Kojima did no work on progenitorAnd after playing most of the game myself, I have to say that it's actually not all that surprising.

Kojima is being rescued

6 Things That Make Hideo Kojima Games Unique

When jumping into a new game, there are always some dead giveaways that it was designed by Hideo Kojima.

Is Pragmata 'Kojima-like'?

While I certainly understand why some players might draw parallels progenitor And like games Death StrandingI think most of these connections are cursory or exaggerated. There are some broad-stroke aesthetic and narrative elements in common progenitor and Kojima's most famous IPs, but these don't quite penetrate the surface-level. For example, progenitorThe mechs are similar to those found in some metal gear games, but also in various anime and manga Evangelion and Mobile Suit Gundam.

Scratch and pick

Identify the cover art while scratching off as small a foil as possible.




Scratch and pick

Identify the cover art while scratching off as small a foil as possible.

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In general, there's a tendency to conflate “weird” and “Kojima-inspired” when it comes to games. For many gamers, especially those less familiar with Kojima, weirdness may actually be the defining characteristic of his work. And when I do not argue both progenitor And Kojima's portfolio is unique, they are unique in different ways. such as the series metal gear is about complex techno-political commentary, and is, in many ways, very serious and depressing. progenitor It also touches on darker themes, but it's more about swashbuckling adventure and heroism than obsessively detailed musings about cerebral, war, identity, governance, or the afterlife.

Pragmata is more akin to Yoko Taro's work than Hideo Kojima's

If you're looking for a cultural touchstone to measure against progenitorDon't look at Hideo Kojima – look at Yoko Taro. Most famous for creating Drakengard and NieR franchises, Tarot games are characterized by their flawless, flamboyant style, unusual but fast-paced combat, and deceptively complex fantasy worlds. If you just played progenitorThese descriptors may sound familiar to you. finally, progenitor Pretty much the same NieR: Automata than anything else in Kojima's catalog.

What is worth respecting, in particular, is progenitorpresentation and distribution of In a Kojima game, monologues or exceptionally long cutscenes sometimes tell players more than they need to know. This kind of exposition overload is one of Kojima's most polarizing tendencies. But Yoko Taro prefers to drop players into a strange world, not necessarily focus on its exotic nature, and allow them to put the pieces together themselves. This kind of absolute objectivity, expressed as a lack of self-consciousness, defines the games of the tarot, as it stylishly, unapologetically quirky. progenitor.

Whether it's influenced by Kojima or Taro, Pragmata is amazing

Pragmatic hostile machines brandish energy blades Image via Capcom

It's fun to compare things by contrast—we wouldn't have metaphors and similes if it weren't for it—but such thinking can also be limiting. At the end of the day, progenitorIts strength lies in the fact that it's trying something new, not using the mechanics or identity of another game. I can compare the game not only to the work of Kojima and Taro, but also to the work of Hideki Kamiya, the founder of PlatinumGames. Stellar Blade Director Kim Kyung-tae – but will do less to do so. yes, progenitor It has a lot in common with these games and others, but its puzzle-combat gameplay, simple but inspired level design, and rewarding building-crafting systems, among other things, combine to set it apart.

in other words, progenitor Such is the X-factor of creating franchises metal gear So permanent, even after so many years without new entries. Perhaps the biggest similarity progenitor Having such titles is unique to it, and perhaps, some gaming audiences have drawn a connection between it and Kojima's work. But this relationship is more spiritual or theoretical than literal and quantitative. You might call it creativity, but every video game team is fundamentally creative. I would categorize this quality as bravery, the bravery to stick with bold, uncertain, and/or “weird” ideas instead of following trends or playing things too safe. This is an unfortunately uncommon practice in the entertainment world, but as an unabashed Kojima fan, I certainly encourage it.


Pragmata tag page cover art


issued

April 17, 2026

ESRB

Juvenile/language, violence, in-game purchases


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