In recent years, it’s felt like we’re teetering this close on the edge of getting a classic Disney cartoon renaissance, harkening back to that early-90s golden age. Both DuckTales and Chip & Dale got decent revivals, people went nuts with nostalgia for the 30th anniversary of A Goofy Movie, and Darkwing Duck is courting a reboot as well, even appearing in Disney Lorcana. In the meantime, the Disney Afternoon Collection has returned with a couple new toons up its sleeves to help you get back in touch with your inner child.
First released in 2017, Disney Afternoon Collection compiles six classic Capcom titles for NES, adapting the House of Mouse’s hit cartoon lineup for weekday syndication: DuckTales and DuckTales 2, Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers and Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers 2, TaleSpin, and Darkwing Duck. The collection now makes its debut on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 alongside two additional SNES games, Goof Troop and Bonkers.
As a young, impressionable kid, I remember watching these shows when they were on TV originally and reading about them in Disney Adventures Magazine (real ones, IYKYK). I loved Darkwing Duck so much that I had it on my birthday cake one year, and thought Goofy’s son Max was the coolest character for a while. I also remember butting my head against several of these games as a kid, and feeling a bit of relief that Darkwing Duck‘s game was at least a little more forgiving than “that Mega Man game.”
“Beyond evoking memories of 8-bit halcyon days, however, Disney Afternoon Collection is a mixed bag—like any retro game compilation, a little rough around the edges.”
So naturally, for millennials of a certain age like me, Disney Afternoon Collection is an easy nostalgia win on principal alone. Eight classic games for $26 CAD is a good deal; even if you’re only in it for a couple of these titles, it’s a lot easier and cheaper than buying the individual, original cartridges. (At the time of this writing, some of the games sell secondhand for many times more online, for just a loose cartridge.)
Beyond evoking memories of 8-bit halcyon days, however, Disney Afternoon Collection is a mixed bag—like any retro game compilation, a little rough around the edges. As each game (or at least, each cartoon franchise) offers a different genre and gameplay experience, there’s a lot of room for your mileage to vary.
The two new additions are, admittedly, games that I’d never really encountered before this collection was announced. My childhood SNES experiences were all vicarious, crammed into visits to friends or relatives’ houses, and these two slipped me right by. Of the two, Goof Troop is the more interesting.
Unlike some of the other cartoons represented here, Goof Troop didn’t lend itself so easily to video game form, but Capcom’s team—including future Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami—found a sufficient scenario: Goofy and Max seek to rescue their neighbours Pete and PJ from pirates, who just-so-happen to operate from an island just off the coast of their hometown, Spoonerville.
Designed ideally for two-person multiplayer, Goof Troop was, to my surprise, an interesting little adventure. It’s an oddly Zelda-like experience in some ways, between the style of the maps (particularly in “dungeon” areas), puzzles that have you sliding blocks or flipping switches, and the way our heroes can throw boxes and jars around. Each character can hold two different items, including tools, like a grappling hook, or items, like a board to make bridges.
Usually, the puzzles range from “simple” to “annoyingly obtuse,” and it’s not uncommon to have to run back to another room to reset a puzzle and start fresh. Unfortunately, that means clearing the room of enemies once again. Little tedious foibles aside, Goof Troop is a welcome addition to Disney Afternoon Collection.
Less welcome is Bonkers. Devoted reader of Disney Adventures as I was, I had zero recollection of this series until it was announced for Disney Afternoon Collection. The game itself is a fairly standard 16-bit platforming adventure: police officer Bonkers D. Bobcat has to reclaim three stolen treasures based on other Disney properties, and must use bombs and a dash attack to deal with enemies across six levels.
Maybe it’s because this game was developed by Sun-L while the others were developed by Capcom, or maybe it’s because the franchise was foreign to me, but Bonkers felt the most out of place in Disney Afternoon Collection. If not for the company branding and allusions (like the three treasures being items from classic Disney films), it just didn’t have the same Disney spirit that the other franchises here have. It’s a decent-enough 16-bit platforming adventure, yet it’s also not particularly inspiring.
It likely wasn’t on the table because it recently got a remaster, but the Gargoyles game surely would’ve been a more appealing offering. However, Bonkers fans, if you’re out there, I’m sure you’ll be elated to see this relic exhumed and restored.
The games from the original Disney Afternoon Collection are a tighter, albeit decidedly 8-bit, assortment. My personal favourite is Darkwing Duck, a solid Mega Man clone sans the ability to gain abilities from vanquished bosses; players are free to tackle levels in the order they wish, culminating in a final showdown with the big bad. Capcom’s designers nailed the show’s spirit and atmosphere.
The DuckTales games, however, are probably the most generally popular games of the bunch, with the original being the only game of this batch to earn a dedicated remaster. Over the last 30+ years, fans have enjoyed pogo-sticking Scrooge McDuck through globetrotting adventures in search of gold, with help from his nephews and Launchpad McQuack, and Nintendo players now have a chance to bring these two games back home.
All eight games in Disney Afternoon Collection have the same suite of presentation options and quality-of-life improvements. Screen settings include original, full-screen, and wide aspect ratios, with game-specific backgrounds for the bordered displays. (The artwork designs don’t work quite so well with the full ratio, unless you don’t mind logos being bisected.) There are also some filters to mimic the look of a CRT television or a monitor, if you miss this particular aesthetic, but for this particular collection, I much preferred the default view, even if it the border took up most of the screen.
The NES games get the benefit of Time Attack and Boss Rush modes for savvy competitors. There’s also the option to rewind gameplay or use save states. Disney Afternoon Collection isn’t reinventing the wheel here, as these are practically required features for a retro game compilation in 2026. Unlike our original reviewer in 2017, though, I think there’s a real case for using the rewind.
“Flaws and foibles aside, Disney Afternoon Collection will surely be a no-brainer for many gamers with fond memories of these games or cartoons.”
I don’t think it makes us complacent as gamers—it just makes it that much faster to get back to the point you’re stuck on and try again. Over the years, I’ve done more than my share of slogging through retro game levels to take another stab at one particularly nasty jump or enemy, and I respect the skill this process brings, but I would also prefer to streamline the process and just worry about the current challenge at hand. There’s always the option to just… not use them, also, if you object to them, like we once had the option to resort to a Game Genie.
For a truly pure experience, try playing Disney Afternoon Collection‘s 8-bit offerings with the Nintendo Switch Online NES Controller. There’s no rewind button with this gamepad, and you get that authentically non-ergonomic feel that only a boxy, rectangular NES controller can offer.
Beyond the games themselves, Digital Eclipse included another scrumptious in-game museum, including assets like concept art and packaging for all the various games, and even some design documents exchanged between Capcom and Disney. Unfortunately, this gallery hasn’t expanded much from the original 2017 version, aside from including Goof Troop and Bonkers.
Also, the gallery includes packaging for the handheld versions of the games, where applicable, yet Disney Afternoon Collection only includes the console versions. Nowadays, similar franchise compilations, like Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, and Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection have gone out of their way to include myriad regional and console variants of their collected games, so including the packaging in the museum without the content feels like a bit of a tease.
Flaws and foibles aside, Disney Afternoon Collection will surely be a no-brainer for many gamers with fond memories of these games or cartoons. For the most part, these Capcom classics are chock-full of character, which was no small feat for their time. They’re offered up here again as a perfect opportunity to revisit your childhood, or perhaps introduce The Old Ways to your own kids.
