Digital Eclipse is not new when it comes to publishing curated collections of retro titles with some big names under its belt, like the 2015’s Mega Man Legacy Collection or the 2021’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection. The studio has dabbled in different iconic titles from the late 80s to the 90s to bring classic titles back to life on modern consoles, and one of their releases includes The Disney Afternoon Collection. While it was originally released for PC and consoles back in 2017, it remained surprisingly absent on the new Nintendo consoles. To remedy that, Digital Eclipse and Atari are now bringing it to both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 with two bonus titles. This is our review of the Nintendo Switch version of The Disney Afternoon Collection, in which we explore the golden era of Capcom’s 2D sidescrolling action in eight different games.
The eight games in the collection range from both NES and SNES releases by Capcom, developed on licensed franchises owned by Disney. While they may appear to be children’s games, most titles are pretty tough, and nearly all games require good control over movement and skills. The games in the collection include DuckTales, Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin, Darkwing Duck, DuckTales 2, Goof Troop, Chip ‘n Dale 2, and Bonkers. Out of these games, Goof Troop and Bonkers are SNES and only available in the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 versions of the collection.
Starting with the first title, DuckTales was originally released by Capcom for the NES back in 1989. It is the only title in the collection from the ‘80s, but also one of the best ones as well. It features excellent platforming elements with solid gameplay as you bounce around using a pogo stick and explore massive levels. Each level offers a large number of paths that you can explore and find secrets. The main story features multiple boss battles and a simple level select mechanic that keeps things convenient and clutter-free.
Next up, we have Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, a cheeky little sidescroller that dials down on the difficulty and offers a much more manageable experience. Originally released back in 1990, this game brings to life the iconic Chip and Dale duo as you solve puzzles in co-op and progress through different levels. With easy gameplay mechanics and a visually pleasing art style, this classic is another great addition to the collection.
TaleSpin is a Sidescrolling shooter, released back in 1991, in which you control Baloo’s plane, the Sea Duck, and make different deliveries while trying to avoid obstacles and the fleet of Don Karnage and his pirates. The game brings a unique gameplay twist as it allows you to turn around your plane at any time during gameplay. You can complete deliveries and use your income to upgrade your plane to make it better. This is one of the toughest games in this collection and sadly shows its age at this point. The gameplay is not the most refined compared to other titles.
Darkwing Duck takes the action back to the ground as you explore different levels and use your weapon to take out enemies. Released back in 1992, Darkwing Duck is yet another okay title in the collection, which looks dated due to its limited gameplay options. Many other titles of its age offered much more content, which makes it a much less attractive option to try out now as well. It does have some cool boss battles, and with rewind, you can have some fun trying to defeat all of them.
Moving on to the sequels, we have DuckTales 2, released back in 1993, which is a direct sequel to the first game. It brought the same gameplay formula back to life with some upgrades here and there. It features much larger levels and more content than the original, but it lacks in certain areas, like soundtrack quality. Unlike the first game, most of its progression content is actually hidden behind secret walls, so it can be a little tricky to complete.
Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers 2, released in 1994, is the easiest title out of the bunch. It follows the same puzzle-solving sidescrolling action as in the first game, but this time it is much more refined and on a larger scale. The boss fights are the most satisfying bit of the game and also the most challenging, so it puts up a fight before you can mark it off your completion list.
Goof Troop, released in 1993, follows the pirate adventure of Goofy and Max as they explore Spoonerville Island and try to rescue Pete and PJ from the pirates. It is a top-down adventure game where you solve puzzle rooms using tools and progress further. You will find many classic gameplay mechanics here, like pushing blocks and using them to activate switches to open gates. The puzzle solving is made difficult by the pirates who attack Max and Goofy, so you will need to deal with them as well.
Finally, we have Bonkers, released back in 1994, which follows the mystery-solving Bonkers. The game features two different gameplay elements: one where you must solve a case using clues, and then the sections where you must chase down the culprits and apprehend them. This is perhaps the most unique game out of the bunch because it involves much more than just platforming.
Apart from the SNES titles, all six NES games also offer additional gameplay modes, including Boss Rush and Time Attack. Players who love tackling bosses at their own will run the Boss Rush mode, as it brings together all of the bosses from each game in a separate mode and skips all other platforming sections. Naturally, Duck Tales takes the lead in this regard as it has the best boss battles out of the bunch. Coming to the second mode, speedrunners can try their luck in the Time Attack mode, where they can try to complete the game in the fastest time possible. Both modes offer global leaderboards where players can compete for the top spot.
Added features for all games include a manual Save option, which allows players to store their progress at any time during a playthrough for a single time for each title. This combines with the Rewind feature, allows a chance to fix gameplay mistakes such as jumping down a ditch or using a different strategy to approach a boss fight while preserving maximum health. Both of these features will appeal to modern players who are not used to overly hard platforming titles. A beautiful UI allows game selection, access to the music player, and a detailed gallery. Fans can listen to their favourite soundtrack from any game or check out some never-released concept art and details about each game. All games support custom control mapping as well.
For me, the highlights of this collection include the Duck Tales titles. Both games offer much more content, and their gameplay has aged the best even after 37 years. The iconic characters and solid mechanics are sure to appeal to a wide range of players even today. The Nintendo Switch platform exclusive titles are decent in their own way, but the two titles that still feel dated, even with modern features, include TaleSpin and Darkwing Duck. While Darkwing Duck is still manageable somehow, the gameplay mechanics of TaleSpin are definitely going to give everyone a headache.
Final Verdict:
Because all of these games were released on Nintendo consoles back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, seeing them re-released on Nintendo Switch is nothing short of pure nostalgia. While some of the titles in this collection, like TaleSpin, have not aged well, the overall quality of this assortment of classics is excellent, and players can invest a decent amount of their time in it. For Nintendo’s modern consoles, The Disney Afternoon Collection is an excellent addition for players looking to relive the early glory days of sidescrolling platformers set in the iconic worlds of Disney.
Final Score: 9.0/10
Disclaimer: A Nintendo Switch review code for The Disney Afternoon Collection was provided by FortySeven on behalf of Digital Eclipse for this review. Read our Review Policy.
