Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 for Nintendo Switch code provided by Activision

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 is a skateboarding video game developed by Vicarious Visions and published by Activision. Players will take control of their favorite skateboarding pro and perform tricks on various skateparks to earn points, unlock new areas to grind and more advanced tricks.

Getting Back on Board

Player mid-trick

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 aims to emulate the blood-pumping adrenaline one would experience while grinding their board at a skatepark, and for the most part it succeeds on that front incredibly well. The game throws the player into a tutorial immediately and teaches them the ropes by having them replicate a maneuver, such as grinding on a rail, then allows repeated practice until the player decides they’re ready to move on to the next lesson. This style of teaching is effective as it encourages the players to make mistakes while they take the responsibility to improve their skills. The satisfaction of a newbie skater would feel upon finally perfecting a new trick is replicated quite well.

The controls for Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 showcase stellar design as they’re simple to understand but difficult to master. Most basic tricks such as manuals and kickflips can be executed with the pressing of two buttons or tapping of the directional stick. However, actually performing these tricks in rapid succession takes hours of practice, which is important since high scores require a player to perform various tricks without error. This further incentivizes replay ability as the better the player performs; the more points they earn to unlock new skate parks and tricks.

The physics system in Tony Hawk helps to truly nail the feeling of learning how to skateboard. Subtle things such as having to balance while grinding on a rail or having to land after a jump with your board facing the right way or face a wipe out is a subtle nuance that captures the intricate actions required to execute these skills. 

Skate Everywhere and Anywhere

Player grinding

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 has a large variety of different locations players will skate through while in the Tour mode or in online multiplayer. Standard skate parks make an appearance, but warehouses, schools and even malls are viable locations for players to grind. The locations are varied in their layouts and obstacles, which adds a nice dose of personality to the specific maps themselves. 

Each map does suffer from feeling a bit empty unfortunately. While skating in any given location the player will be the only person present. This is a missed opportunity to have some NPC’s cheer while you land tricks or react to wipe outs. The maps current design function fine in their current form but simply lack an extra spark of life.

There is still plenty to do in each park aside from only performing tricks and maneuvers for points. Each course has a number of objectives that must be completed in order to advance further through the tour mode. Collecting letters to spell the word S.K.A.T.E, scoring a specific number or points or locating a special tape will earn players the right to pass forward. Though completing each task is not required to progress, this only further emphasizes Tony Hawk’s greatest strength being it’s replay ability as any player inclined can attempt each level several times in pursuit of one hundred percent completion.

Skating with Friends

The shop

In terms of modes and extra content, there is a good amount of single player experiences for players to engage with. Tour, ranked and free skate mode, all will satisfy the itch to get on your board, and the incredibly in-depth Create-A-Park will potentially provide hundreds of hours worth of playtime.

Though single player modes aren’t the only content present as Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 features various ways for friends to get in on the fun. Split Screen local play is sure to create hours of enjoyment between friends but competitive modes, such as score challenge and trick attack, offer plenty of ways for players to engage with Tony Hawk.

All this content showcases the greatest strength of this title, being its replay-able nature. The simple yet addicting gameplay will keep players coming back to perfect their skills, and with various ways to experience Tony Hawk with friends, the playtime for most players is sure to be in the hundreds.

Street Style

The warehouse

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 overall looks fine in the visuals department with each setting looking true to life. The soundtrack is easily the best aspect about its presentation with every track for a new course perfectly matching that street vibe the game is rolling with. Hip Hop is the genre chosen and it enhances the setting while immersing the player, as if they were really at a skate jamming with friends.

Though noting that this is a Switch port, it does fall into the typical trappings that most switch versions do suffer from. The graphics don’t match up to the power of the other consoles this title can run on with textures looking muddy all over the areas. Typically, you’ll see the texture on items that need to buffer and deblur as they load in the shop. Load times also unfortunately can run for a little on the longer side which kills the pacing when attempting to retry a course.

Overall, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 is an enjoyable skateboarding simulator that offers plenty of content for fans new and old. As a Switch port the game runs incredibly well disregarding some poor textures and is a perfectly fine way to experience this title. That is all for this review and until next time…

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