In the rhythm of memory: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 review

There are games that over the years become symbols of an era not only due to their mechanics, but also due to their sense of time, place and rhythm. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is just such a series. And it returns for a second time, and this time it completes its retrospective tour. After the success of the remake of the first two parts, the logical step was to update the third and fourth, and the result looks like a holistic reconstruction of the golden period of the series. The game does not seek to break or reboot itself. It acts with caution, precision and respect for the material.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 levels: familiar spaces recreated

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 recreates locations from the third and fourth installments of the series. These are separate game levels, each with its own style, geometry, and set of challenges. Foundry is an industrial factory with platforms, cranes, and hot metal. Canada is a snowy open area with wooden structures, slopes, and observation decks. Airport is a typical airport with moving baggage belts, escalators, and arrivals boards. Suburbia is a residential area with parks, garages, and rooftops that can be used as part of the route. And a whole bunch of different and different levels that have been carefully and lovingly transferred from the original PlayStation 2-era games. They haven't just been updated. They've been recreated using a modern engine and new graphics. Textures, models, lighting, and physical effects have been rebuilt from scratch. At the same time, all geometry and placement of objects are preserved as accurately as possible, so that players familiar with the original can immediately recognize familiar trajectories and routes.

This is a full remake, not a remaster. The game doesn't have any old components adapted to new technology. Instead, the developers have completely recreated the game world using modern tools, while maintaining the spirit and rhythm of the classic games.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4

However, there are also changes in the structure. While THPS 3 retained the classic approach of two-minute sessions, THPS 4 has revised this formula. In the original, the fourth part was the series' first attempt at a more open world with missions and dialogues. In this remake, this decision was abandoned, and THPS 4 returned to the format of timed trials. Because of this, the locations lose some of the lively charm that was in the original version.

Game mechanics of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4: old basics in a new wrapper

The gameplay of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 remains familiar, but the control feels more precise and the animations are more expressive. The player performs tricks, connects them in combinations, gets points and unlocks new challenges. All the key moves: manuals, reverts, flatland tricks, spine transfers, are available right away. Manuals allow you to connect tricks between ramps, reverts continue the combination after landing, flatland tricks add variability when moving on a flat surface, and spine transfers allow you to quickly change direction between ramps. They do not introduce complex rules, but they give depth if the player is willing to learn how to use them correctly.

The controls are smoother. The animations and control of the skater are now more precise, allowing you to react confidently to changes in terrain or direction. This is not a new mechanic, but the result of a modern treatment of old solutions.

If the player is already familiar with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2, mastering it will not take much time. If this is the first acquaintance with the series, the game remains accessible. The main strength of the game is the ease of entry and the freedom to master more complex techniques. For example, the player can learn complex combinations of tricks that combine manuals, wallrides and flips, or use objects on the level for non-standard routes and continuous scoring. And deep settings of assistants and time for completing the level will allow you to choose all the parameters exactly according to your skill level and wishes.

Music: between past and present

The soundtrack in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater has always been important. In the third and fourth parts, the game sounded punk, alternative and rap. In the new version, only some songs from the original remained, which were licensed. Among them are CKY, Motörhead, Adolescents.

Other songs have been replaced or supplemented with new tracks, including modern artists with similar energy. This allows you to maintain the mood of the game, but does not completely repeat it. The selection of genres and the tempo of the compositions have changed, the sound has become more modern, a little more aggressive, in places less recognizable, but still emotionally close to the original aesthetics. Some fans may feel a loss in the absence of bands such as Red Hot Chili Peppers or AC/DC, but the general tone has been preserved.

Career Mode: return to the classic structure

In Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, the original novelty was the open world, the ability to freely move around the level and take tasks from NPCs. In the 3+4 edition, this element is absent - both parts are reduced to a common denominator of the classic structure: two-minute sessions, a set of challenges and maximum concentration on skating itself. The tasks are familiar: collect the letters SKATE, score the required number of points, break five signs or find a hidden cassette.

This structure isn't new, but it works. The game delivers a fast pace, a clear rhythm, and a constant change of tasks without having to linger in menus. It's not a story-driven career, but rather a series of checkpoints that gradually reveal the level. And while THPS4 fans may feel the loss of that "freedom," the simplification of the structure works to the benefit of the overall pace.

In addition to the career mode, the game features the classic Free Skate mode for free skating without a time limit, as well as the Speed Run mode, which has become an unofficial platform for time trials. All modes are available on every level, so even a familiar location can be perceived differently depending on the game format.

The online component includes both classic modes Graffiti, Combo Mambo, Trick Attack, and private lobbies with custom rules. And although online has not become the main focus, it works stably, and in competitions you can see the same patterns as twenty years ago.

The level editor is worth mentioning separately. Creating your own skatepark is not just a bonus, but a full-fledged opportunity to leave your mark on the game. The tool allows you to build platforms from scratch or modify templates, adding ramps, handrails, acceleration tracks, jumps, walls and even decorative details. The editor is simple enough for beginners, but opens up a wide range for experiments - both in building complex routes and in creating visually coherent thematic arenas.

Finished parks can be saved, published and opened for other players. This takes the game from a fixed series of levels to a platform for collaborative creativity that lives on even after the main content is completed. This is not a mandatory element, but it allows players to not just reproduce tricks, but to build their own environment for them.

Technical quality: stylization and technological accuracy

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 is a remake in which modern technology serves style. Instead of photorealism, the game opts for a recognizable, slightly comic book aesthetic with a rich palette, expressive level geometry and clearly readable objects. This is a world that does not try to be reality, but wants to be the perfect park for tricks, with a built-in rhythm and a clear visual emphasis on each trajectory. Here the game is still true to the foundation that was laid in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2.

Each location in the game has its own character and atmosphere. The style of the arenas is unique and has almost no repetitive elements. All this is accompanied by pleasant lighting, believable shadows and expressive effects: water, fire, splashes, which enliven the environment without overshadowing the gameplay. Movement animations are as organic as possible. Skaters no longer look like mannequins from PlayStation 2. They have weight, inertia, and move at the right moment, without being late or in a hurry. Thanks to this, even the most complex combinations look natural and clear.

The game runs stably on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The frame rate is kept at 60, levels load almost instantly, and the transition between menus and gameplay doesn't break the rhythm. This is a project where production discipline is evident - everything works from the first launch, without bugs or patches that fix anything.

Nostalgia in games works as a return to familiar sensations. But the best remakes don't just reconstruct the old, they give you a chance to see it in a new way. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 is just that. It doesn't create a new concept or complicate the gameplay, but recreates the classic formula accurately and carefully, adapting it to the demands of modern execution. It's a game that retains the spirit of the series - the control, the rhythm, the level structure and even the type of humor, while looking and sounding at the level of the current generation. This is not an attempt to surprise, but an attempt to preserve. And it coped with this task.