Sonic Superstars’ reveal at Summer Game Fest may have unveiled the return of 2D Sonic games, but only one thing immediately caught the attention of fans: Fang the Sniper is back.
Though he has made a number of cameo appearances over the years, the trailer hints that Fang the Sniper (also known as Nack the Weasel) may finally be playing a bigger role, 28 years after his debut.
The trailer didn’t give us a massive glimpse of Fang, only showing his sprite-based retro design as a teaser, and even bringing back his flying vehicle, the Marvelous Queen. However, the official Superstars site confirms he’ll be teaming up with Dr. Eggman as one of the main villains of the game, so we’ll likely see an updated 3D look for him for the very first time, too.
That little look was enough to send fans into a frenzy, as Fang has long been one of the more obscure characters in Sonic canon. On Reddit, some pointed out that he’s already got his iconic pop-gun, while others pointed out that, despite a long list of cameos, he’s gone multiple decades without being a major focus of a game.
Fang the Sniper is a weasel bounty hunter who has both worked with and against Sonic in his various appearances across games and, more extensively, the comics. We somewhat recently saw Fang in Sonic Mania, as one of the three bosses in Mirage Saloon Zone, but that was an illusion created by a robot rather than the real deal.
That means the last time he played any significant part in a game was in Sonic the Fighters, launched way back in 1996. Sonic the Fighters was a 3D fighting game for Arcade – think Virtua Fighter, but Sonic. Though Fang actually debuted in 1994’s Sonic Triple Trouble for the Game Gear, it’s in Fighters where he meets his long-term allies Bean the Dynamite and Bark the Polar Bear.
Interestingly, the connection between Fang, Bark and Dynamite is much stronger in the comics than the games, where they’ve only really appeared together in Fighters and Mania. Though it is possible we’ll see Bark and Dynamite show up (and the YouTube description for the trailer does mention “Dr. Eggman (and co)” as the villains), it wouldn’t be completely unheard of to see Fang as a lone wolf… weasel.
Fang isn’t the only blast from the past coming in Sonic Superstars. The trailer showed off classic-inspired designs for Knuckles and Amy, and marked the return of Classic Sonic and Tales, who were last seen in Sonic Forces. We also saw a refreshed take on Sonic 2’s Emerald Hill, and even the pinball-esque special stages from the very first game.
Sonic Superstars launches this Autumn.