I fancy myself as a b🔯it of a completionist in games. I don’t go in for all that “play the game four times on each difficulty for a Trophy” nonsense, but generally, I like to sweep a game up before I’m finished with it. Usually, it means staying in a 𓃲game I’m bored of for a few hours longer, gaining nothing from this but a worthless trinket nobody else cares about. Sometimes, though, being a completionist brings some unique rewards. With Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, it feels like not getting this trinket is a reward in itself.
The creative Trophy oღr Achievement is a bit of a dying art these days. The novelty of these extra challenges appears to have worn off, and while a few of us still care about these meaningless numbers, it seems like most gamers do not. Red Dead Redemption (the first one), Saint’s Row, and Borderlands are some great examples of how creative or funky Achievements can pull players towards weird new experiences they’d never get otherwise. Take Red Dead’s Dastardly Achievement, which tasks Marston with kidnapping a woman in town, then tying her to the train tracks like a vaudeville villain. It ranks amongst my favourite moments in Red Dead Redemption, but I never would have done it had the Achievement list not instructed me to. Honestly, I wouldn’t. Promise.
But anyway, back to Tony Hawk’s. Despite the series’ penchant for being a little dudebro wacky at times, all of the Trophies in the remake are played straight. Clear these levels. Unlock this character. Land this combo. You know, basic stuff. There is a set of hidden collectibles in the game, but aside from that the Achievemen🅘t list gives you nothing extra to do. You’d think that would disappoint me, but it doesn’t.
I absolutely adored the original two Tony Hawk’s games, and beating them is one of my earliest gaming memories. Now that the remake comes with vastly improved graphics, extra challenges, and a new roster of younger sk𝄹aters, I love it even more. I’ve cleared every goal in every level and maxed out four skaters; one for each play style, plus a created skater. I’ve spent over 50 hours in the game and still haven’t “completed” it. But do you know what? I wouldn’t ha꧃ve it any other way.
I’m three Trophies short, plus the final Platinum. Two of these are just a matter of attrition. I’m currently level 47, and there’s a Trophy foᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚr reaching level 50, so yeah, I’ll get that soon. I’d also reach 100 surfaces graffitied in due course if I actually made an effort to, so really, there’s just one Trophy standing in my way: complete all hard Get-Theres. The Get-Theres are a set of challenges that push you to get from one location on the map to another in a single combo, while hitting specific gaps along the way. As you might have guessed, the hard ones are pretty hard.
This is why I’ll never complete Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2. The hard Get-Theres are just a smidge too hard, but they’re not so hard that I stop trying. This is their genius. I’ve actually managed to get a couple of them, though that still leaves 17 to go. Some of these feel completely impossible, bu💛t that hasn’t stopped me from trying again and again, face planting over and over as I lose my balance on the grind rail. This difficulty is the re🧔ason I’m so glad I’ll never complete the game; because for as long as I haven’t, there’s something keeping me going back.
Returning to the Get-Theres is frustrating, but after a while, I just give up and skate. I keep trying the Venice Beach Get-There even though I’ve never even gotten clo꧂se to getting there, let alone landing it, because the level’s sunset-soaked ramps are gorgeous to skate by. Marseille, too, with its cramped design, invasive lips, and randomly spaced grindables, is far too wonky to master, and far too beautiful to ever be angry with. Often when older games are remade, the improved technology steals away some of their janky spirit in exchange for more aesthetically pleasing 4K visuals, but at the cost of the game’s personality. The Tony Hawk’s levels have managed to cling onto what makes 💙them special despite an impressive glow up.
With all the basic level goals complete, Tony Hawk🐓’s is the ultimate chill out game. Turning off the HUD and applying the perfect cheats lets you switch your brain off and turn the game into a stress ball. Every kickflip, every melon, every noseslide helps knead all the tension out of your soul. But the completionist brain in me wouldn’t let me keep it on my console if I already had the Platinum. Since I’ll never get it, I’ll be allowed to keep it forever. Sometimes, it’s fun to lose.