Nearly a decade after its initial release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, The Disney Afternoon Collection arrives on Nintendo Switch consoles with extra games. Now sporting eight retro and beloved Disney video games, Digital Eclipse’s wonderful collection is as charming and fun to revisit as ever. Any Disney fan will want to check out this game collection, which is better than ever on Nintendo Switch systems.
All six of the collection’s original games for the NES return. These include the two iconic DuckTales NES games, Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers and its sequel, TaleSpin, and Darkwing Duck. The two DuckTales games are the best of the collection, as they’re wonderful platformers (and the sequel is pretty rare, so many haven’t experienced it). The Chip & Dale games are both charming platformers that feature co-op play, although Rescue Rangers 2 is noticeably a weaker experience. The two final NES games are the collection’s weakest, as Darkwing Duck is a slow, Mega Man-inspired game that sounds like a cooler idea than it is in execution due to some brutal boss fights, and TaleSpin is a very difficult sidescrolling shooter. While I have my complaints about some of the games, they’re all charming and worth a look, as your favorites might vary from mine.
There are two new games in the collection, both of which were originally released for the Super Nintendo. The first is 1993’s Goof Troop, which is a fun action-adventure game that was actually designed by Shinji Mikami of Resident Evil fame. It’s puzzle-focused as players control Goofy and Max to solve puzzles and eliminate enemies by tricking them. It winds up being a lot of fun in co-op, especially the boss fights, but the single-player experience isn’t as exciting.
The final game in the collection is 1994’s Bonkers. Unlike the other games in the collection, I didn’t have much nostalgia for the Bonkers TV show, yet the game was still quite fun. The platformer is actually a crossover of sorts as you’re trying to recover three Disney treasures that have been stolen: Aladdin’s magic lamp, Ariel’s voice, and the Sorcerer’s hat from Fantasia. While the platformer is a bit slow-moving, the boss fights are fun and the stages have a nice variety to them (I loved the movie studio level).
All eight of the games feature several quality-of-life upgrades, including the ability to save your progress anywhere and rewind gameplay (which is very helpful with how challenging some of the NES games are). All of the NES titles also include time attack and boss rush modes, although the two new games didn’t get the same treatment. There’s also wonderful gallery and music modes, which allow you to enjoy the catchy soundtracks and view a bunch of art, promos, and sketches for the various games.
The Disney Afternoon Collection Review: Final Verdict
While not all of the eight titles will have you constantly revisiting them (or feeling particularly compelled to finish them), most of the collection is a lot of fun. Featuring a fun presentation and plenty of bonus features, The Disney Afternoon Collection has never been better than its new Switch and Switch 2 release. These classic Disney games are worth revisiting, especially the original DuckTales and Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers.
SCORE: 8.5/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 8.5 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.
Disclosure: The publisher provided a Nintendo Switch 2 copy for our Disney Afternoon Collection review. Reviewed on version 1.0.2.
