The Pragmata mods are starting to roll in, and thank the stars they're largely focused on the dad bod

Given the vast range of mods Capcom games typically lend themselves to, it’s downright refreshing to see the first half-decent tweaks for sci-fi action game Pragmata stay squarely away from everyone’s favorite android daughter. While there are a couple of mods aimed at mixing and matching elements of Diana’s many different skins (like having android-style limbs of her Shadow Executor skin while keeping her adorable default fit), it’s her guardian getting a glow-up. And in the most sensible way, too.

Hop onto a mod database right now, and you’ll see a trio of new mods made to deck out Pragmata protagonist Hugh in a new fit. Set in space where big, clunky sci-fi armor is all but certainly expected for survival, the man lends himself to wearing the shoes (and every other piece of armor) of just about any iconic sci-fi video game icon around.

Fitting for a game that takes place on an overthrown space station, Nexus Mods user FokeyT26 was commissioned to toss Dead Space’s Isaac Clarke into a tonally different fight, replacing Hugh’s Delphi outfit to thrust the survival horror icon on a well-deserved new quest.

Now that we’ve set the scene, I’m going to give you a minute to think of the target of the next body swap. Hint: they’re both green, with one being darker than the other. And if that’s wrong, don’t shoot the messenger. I’m partially colorblind, so I did consult Google just to be sure.

Ok, ready? It’s Mas… Doom Guy, of course! Who else? Released on April 24, the Doom Guy mod for Pragmata was one of the first, right before we got daily new character skins for poor old Hugh. Clearly, players think he needs a break. Also targeting his Delphi Suit skin, this one goes for Doom Guy’s skin from Doom: The Dark Ages.

So, what’s the last one? Ok, yes, it’s Master Chief. Originally modded to a skin locked behind the deluxe edition, yesterday’s release attached it to the default Delphi Suit skin, making the shooty Spartan guy available to the masses.

Again, those are what I would consider to be sensible options. An almost like-for-like swap. The vibe remains, you know? Turns out it didn’t start off that way.

Days before these started to roll in, modders had already swapped Hugh out for the main protagonist of anime action game Wuthering Waves. And, of course, Minecraft Steve is there, too. Mann from Stellar Blade? The guy’s an armor-clad guardian, so I’ll let that one slide. Oh, and you can swap one of the bigger enemies out for Shrek if you want. I’ll assume this is like the spider swap situation in survival RPGs. Arachnophobia mode for killer robots? No?

Anyway, the more I look into this, the closer I get to the Diana mods, and I’m getting scared – though I did find CJ from GTA: San Andreas, and that is pretty funny. After those rumors of Pragmata being a secret Mega Man game, I’m surprised he hasn’t appeared yet. Ok, looks like someone added him (and Optimus Prime) not long after I drafted this. Cool.

Pragmata is available now for $59.99. You’ll need to grab it on Steam for most of these mods to kick in. If you want to give Hugh a break and let Master Chief carry more than a hologram around, I suggest getting comfortable with installing REFramework. That’s the key behind all these model swaps.