The Disney Afternoon Collection

Genre: Compilation / Platformer

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

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Review:

The Disney Afternoon Collection is a Compilation of six games originally released on the Nintendo Entertainment System from 1989 through 1994 based on Disney animated TV shows released in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with this collection releasing in 2017 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, but conspicuously absent from Nintendo platforms despite that seeming to be the perfect target audience for those games.

In 2026, this oversight has been corrected with a new release on the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, and perhaps as an apology for the nearly decade-long delay, this version comes with two additional games originally released on the Super Nintendo platform in 1993 and 1994.

Here is what I thought of each of the games in this collection (organized in the original chronological release order):

Game	Genre	# of Players	Score
DuckTales	Platformer	1	A
tl;dr Often considered to be one of the best Nintendo Entertainment System games ever made, DuckTales isn’t without its flaws – the controls can be a bit finicky, the level select system can result in uneven difficulty, and the nonlinear level design can be confusing and repetitive at times. However, none of this changes that this game is a true Platformer classic with excellent game design and an absolutely stellar soundtrack. Do not miss this one!
Chip ‘n Dale’s Rescue Rangers	Platformer	1-2 Co-Op (Local)	A-
tl;dr While not quite as well-regarded as DuckTales, I would argue that this is nearly as good, if a bit repetitive with its crate grabbing and tossing gameplay. Despite this complaint, the inclusion of some good co-op makes this another excellent Platformer that you should absolutely play.
TaleSpin	Shmup	1	C-
tl;dr Not to be confused with the Sega Genesis game of the same name, TaleSpin is a Shmup with a mechanic that has players flipping upside-down to change direction. Unfortunately, the gameplay here feels inconsistent, and the default firing rate of your attack is so abysmal it makes the first level a real drag. There might have been a great game buried under the poor execution here, but what we got is something best skipped.
Darkwing Duck	Action-Platformer	1	B-
tl;dr With gameplay that vaguely resembles the Mega Man series, but somewhat more stiff, Darkwig Duck is a solid Action-Platformer, but its controls keep it from being a great one.
DuckTales 2	Platformer	1	A-
tl;dr It may not be as well-remembered as its predecessor, but DuckTales 2 is nearly as good, and it introduces multiple new game mechanics to keep things interesting.If you liked the first game, this one is a no-brainer.
Goof Troop	Arcade / Action-RPG	1-2 Co-Op (Local)	C+
tl;dr Goof Troop is a bit of an oddball that plays a bit like Bomberman and a bit like StarTropics, but overall is kinda’ its own thing. The gameplay is a bit clumsy and the pacing is too slow, but once you get a feel for how to play this game it can be enjoyable.
Chip ‘n Dale’s Rescue Rangers	Platformer	1-2 Co-Op (Local)	B+
tl;dr This sequel seems less-polished and slightly “off” compared to the original, but it still plays well, and I approve of the removal of the world map, which only served to let players skip some levels. The result is a game that isn’t quite as satisfying as the original, but is nevertheless a good follow-up.
Bonkers	Platformer	1	C-
tl;dr I feel like this game was made by two competing designers, one who wanted to make things fun, and one who wanted to ruin the fun. “We’ll make dashing a huge mechanic, so you can speed through the levels if you’re good enough!” “Okay, and let’s add a long cooldown every time you press the button!” “And let’s give him bombs!” “Let’s make those a limited-inventory item with so few that you always feel the need to save them”. The result is a Platformer that’s mediocre at best, and often frustrating.

In short, all but a few of these games are worth playing, with the few stinkers being TaleSpin and Bonkers. Meanwhile, on the positive side of things, both the DuckTales and Chip ‘n Dale games are must-plays, with the original DuckTales being the absolute star of this collection.

Before going on, I should note that this is not quite a comprehensive collection of all Disney Afternoon videogame adaptations. This collection doesn’t include games developed by companies other than Capcom (such as Sega’s TaleSpin and Disney Interactive’s Gargoyles). It also doesn’t include Capcom-developed games based on Disney properties outside of the Disney Afternoon programming block, such as their Mickey Mouse games and games based on movies like The Little Mermaid. This collection also lacks the Game Boy versions of the included releases. Finally, this collection lacks the enhancements found in DuckTales Remastered, though of course it’s debatable whether those enhancements were an improvement.

The games in this collection are presented as they were in their original releases, which means you’ll be seeing quite a bit of slowdown and sprite flickering. It’s generally not so bad that it detracts from the game much, but I do feel it needs to be mentioned.

In addition to the games themselves, this collection includes a soundtrack selection for all included games, digital instruction manuals, and a gallery of production art, box art, concept art, and advertising art. The games themselves all have button config settings, screen settings, a rewind feature, and save states. And for all games except the Super Nintendo games (Goof Troop and Bonkers), there are new time attack and boss rush modes.

When it comes to complaints, I have to get nitpicky to find anything bad to say here. It would have been nice to have interviews with creators, DuckTales Remastered, and the Game Boy games. It would have been nice to have the slowdown and screen flickering cleaned up. And it would have been nice to at least get the Game Boy versions of the games that released on that platform. That said… it’s hard to complain too much when this collection is selling for $20.

In the end, it’s hard to beat the value this Compilation presents. $20 for 8 games, most of them good and roughly half of them truly great, along with a good amount of features and extras, makes The Disney Afternoon Collection an absolute must-have for classic Platformer fans, especially those with a fondness for Disney’s 80s and 90s animated TV shows. Blabbering Blatherskite!

tl;dr – The Disney Afternoon Collection’s release on Nintendo Switch comes nearly a decade after other versions, but gets an additional 2 games, bringing the total to 8 classic games from the NES and SNES, mostly Platformers, based on Disney animated TV shows from the 1980s and 1990s. While I have a few minor nitpicks about missing content, overall this is an absolute wealth of some truly great games with only a few stinkers, with a good array of features and extras. If you enjoy Platformers, classic games, or retro Disney charm, you should consider this Compilation a must-buy.

Grade: A

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The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

The Disney Afternoon Collection (Nintendo Switch 2)

Genre: Compilation / Platformer

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

The Disney Afternoon Collection was released simultaneously on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, but received no upgrade path to go from the former to the latter. Given how old the included games are, it seems dubious that there would be any sort of improvement to them on Nintendo Switch 2’s more-advanced hardware, so the question then becomes, is there any reason to get this version of the game, when the Nintendo Switch version plays on the Nintendo Switch 2? Let’s have a look.

I’ll say right now, the games look and play no different – they have the same slowdown and sprite flickering, and as far as I can tell are presented with the same resolution. Not exactly surprising, but just in case anyone was wondering, there it is. There’s also nothing added in terms of extra content or features.

I noticed one change when playing the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game – loading times. On Nintendo Switch, it took me 21 seconds to load the game to the title screen, and an additional 2 seconds to load up individual games. On Nintendo Switch 2, those times are cut down… to 18 seconds and 2 seconds. That’s right, the only improvement you get playing the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game is three whole seconds of loading time you save. Except… even that isn’t true, because when I popped the Nintendo Switch version of the game into the Nintendo Switch 2, I noticed the same reduction in loading times.

That’s right, we have a winner for the Nintendo Switch 2-specific version of a game with the least improvements over the Nintendo Switch version, as the Nintendo Switch 2 version of The Disney Afternoon Collection is not improved in any way over the Nintendo Switch version, not even the slightest reduction in loading times. In fact, it’s plainly worse than the Nintendo Switch version because the Nintendo Switch version can be played on both a Nintendo Switch and a Nintendo Switch 2! With this being the case, I highly recommend that players get the Nintendo Switch version of this game and don’t bother with the Nintendo Switch 2 version – you pay the same amount for this version, but end up getting slightly less. Aw, phooey!

tl;dr – The Disney Afternoon Collection’s release on Nintendo Switch 2 comes nearly a decade after other versions, but gets an additional 2 games, bringing the total to 8 classic games from the NES and SNES, mostly Platformers, based on Disney animated TV shows from the 1980s and 1990s. While I have a few minor nitpicks about missing content, overall this is an absolute wealth of some truly great games with only a few stinkers, with a good array of features and extras. If you enjoy Platformers, classic games, or retro Disney charm, you should consider this Compilation a must-buy… but get the Nintendo Switch version, as this version offers zero improvements over that release, and is less functional because it only works on Nintendo Switch 2.

Grade: A-

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