NOTE: The following article was delivered to the Bonus Action offices by carrier pigeon in three separate messages between July 14 and July 20, 2025. These three messages were labeled "Part 1", "Part 2", and "Part 4". If you are reading this, the assumed-to-exist "Part 3" did not arrive in time for publication.This might be an unpopular opinion, but I’m fine with the changes Iron Galaxy made to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4.
Obviously, it’s not the ideal situation. In a perfect world we would get something that was more identical to the originals, with the graphical and technical upgrades, along with the new levels Iron Galaxy made.
Still, I don’t miss the free-roaming aspects of THPS4 that so many people seem to connect with. Maybe it’s because I’ve been playing Tony Hawk since the first game, so (to me) the free-roam levels weren’t what I wanted even when they originally released.
It’s not the entire concept of free-roaming Tony Hawk levels that I dislike. My favorite game in the series is Tony Hawk’s Underground, which is a free-roaming Tony Hawk game. It’s THPS4 specifically I didn’t originally gel with, for whatever reason.
That’s over now. I’ve beaten all goals in THPS 3+4, both the standard goals and the pro ones. I’ve collected all the cash pickups, all the Iron Galaxy logos, and all the stat points. Currently, I’m working my way through the Solo Tours – a mode which wasn’t even available until all the previous requirements had been completed.
Honestly, I expected to be done by now. With two levels gone but not missed from THPS4 (sorry not sorry, Chicago) and the return to 2:00 minute runs, I thought there wouldn’t be this much content. There’s a lot more here than I think people are giving Iron Galaxy credit for.
There are a few places where I do wish for more improvements. The options in the character creator are lacking when it comes to faces and facial accessories. It’s the biggest collection of “clearly random NPCs that evoke no emotion” you’ve ever seen, and apart from one cloth surgical mask you can’t even put a pair of glasses on them, let alone ear or eyebrow piercings. Skating is about expression, but none of the create-a-characters look like they know how to express anything.
On the flip side, there is a large amount of unlockable shirts, pants, socks, shoes, decks, griptapes, wheels, and trucks. Are a lot of these just the same models with different effects applied? Yes. Do most of the post-processing game mods double as clothes mods? Sure. But at least it gives you something to spend the in-game money on. At least the post-processing mods are mostly fun.
What THPS 3+4 excels at is multiplayer. Specifically, it has introduced the most fun Tony Hawk multiplayer game yet: HAWK Mode.
HAWK mode is the best THPS multiplayer game
HAWK mode is the best THPS multiplayer game because it’s basically competitive SKATE letters. Two players are both given the letters H, A, W, and K, and each of them has one minute to distribute these letters across the game map. Once the minute is up or all letters are distributed (whatever happens first) players are then transported back to the beginning of the level and given a short amount of time to collect the letters their opponent placed. Whoever gets all the letters the quickest wins.
It’s excellent. You have to land a trick for letters in HAWK mode to stay placed, so you can’t force opponents to leap off of bridges to their death. Everything has to be possible to reach.
This provides so many options. Do you want to be a sneaky player and try and hide your letters in hard-to-find locations? Do you want to create really difficult lines and force the other player to follow your trail? Do you just know how to get somewhere on a map that everyone always forgets about? In THPS’ HAWK mode, all of these are viable options.
After some 25-odd years of playing HORSE in Tony Hawk, it’s nice to find a new THPS multiplayer concept that is actually fun. It’s not just fun, though – it’s taking an integral part of the core single-player gameplay loop and making it the cornerstone of a multiplayer event. It’s genius.
[PART 3 MISSING]
And that’s really the end of all the negative things I wanted to say about THPS 3+4. I know I got a little carried away there, and I do want to apologize. I shouldn’t say things like that about chimpanzees.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 Is Good For Kids
I also want to say that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 isn’t just for long-time fans like me. My son recently turned six and never played any of the previous THPS games, but he has been having a blast playing this with me. Here’s what he calls each Tony Hawk multiplayer game we play the most:
- HAWK MODE is called HIDING LETTERS
- GRAFFITTI MODE is called THE TAGS ONE
- HORSE MODE is called TRICKS WORD
- TAG is called THE OTHER TAG
After such a long, long period of time where it felt like there could never be another good Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater game again, to have two come out back-to-back feels magical. I don’t want to compare Iron Galaxy with Vicarious Visions, but god I hope they don’t end up sharing the same fate a few years from now.
Studios that make games this fun don’t deserve to be swallowed up, and they don’t deserve to be laid off. They deserve to get paid a living wage, and they deserve to make whatever game they want to make next.
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