Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is a really good remake of the PS2-era skateboarding games THP 3 and THPS 4. However, it is missing something very important. In the game’s recreation of THPS 3's iconic Canada level, someone has been removed: The dude pissing off the edge of the map. I decided to reach out to the developers at Iron Galaxy to get to the bottom of this very important issue. We also talked about other stuff, too, I guess.
First up, I had to know, why did Iron Galaxy remove the pissing man from Canada? Is this some grand conspiracy? What’s going on? Well, according to Iron Galaxy, the pissing man wasn’t removed from THPS 3+4. But he does have better bladder control.
“Overall, we’ve made a few changes to the game so we could cast skating in a more positive light,” said Kurt Tillmanns, THPS 3+4's director. “Our old Canadian friend is not gone, he has just learned some much-needed bladder control. There is even a pro goal where you can help him hydrate.”
When I asked about other changes players have spotted in THPS 3+4, like a ramp being in a different spot or an area being slightly re-themed, Tillmans said that the studio’s main goals for levels are to make something “cooler” and “more fun.”
“Our goals for environment design are to create a visual spectacle and provide interesting opportunities to skate. Those two motivations inform all our decisions,” said Tillman.
Missing levels and big changes
Speaking of changes, the biggest and most controversial change (besides the ever-important presence of the pissing dude) was to how THPS 4's levels work in the remake. They aren’t open-world anymore and instead work like THPS 3's levels, with two-minute timers and a list of goals to complete in that time. I asked if there were ever plans to do the THPS 4's levels as open-world playspaces, but it was never an option.
“We set out to create a game that joins and embodies the best of what both of the classic games offered. The two-minute timer is the emblematic Tony Hawk gameplay loop,” said Tillman. “Players who aren’t as interested in that can customize the length of the timer, up to an hour. Many goals from THPS 4 return, and we can share goals and gameplay across both titles, bringing gameplay like Skitchin’ and COMBO goals to the THPS 3 parks. We feel that this best-of-both-worlds approach is a benefit to both games.”
And while the new levels—like Waterpark—in THPS 3+4 are good, I had to ask about the missing levels, like THPS4's Chicago. According to Tillman, they were cut as part of the process for delivering a “unique experience rather than just a predictable remaster.”
“When it came to rebuilding the parks from the ground up, we prioritized the ones that seemed to be the favorites, according to the community consensus. Passing on Chicago and Carnival freed us up to build Waterpark, Pinball, and Movie Studio, the first brand-new [THPS] parks in over a decade.”
Oh, and here’s Tillman’s full response about Eric Sparrow appearing in the game for all big fans of Tony Hawk’s Underground.
Every game needs a villain. We just thought this would be a fun callback to the Underground. A lot of time has passed, so this is a chance to find out the path he has led himself down with his treacherous ways.
Hmmmm.... That’s not confirmation of Underground getting a full remake one day, but at least it’s nice to know the devs behind THPS 3+4 know their Tony Hawk lore. Looking forward, Iron Galaxy still has an “opportunity to update the game post-launch.” We know at least one change that will be made in a future update, as the developer confirmed after this interview that it was going to remove a joke from the Waterpark level.
“We’re watching like a hawk as players drop back into the parks. We still have an opportunity to update the game post-launch, so we’ll keep an eye on their feedback.”
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