The Disney Afternoon Collection (Switch / Switch 2) Review

Finally on a Nintendo handheld – was the wait worth it?

It took almost a decade, but The Disney Afternoon Collection has finally come home to a Nintendo handheld. The Switch and Switch 2 versions roll in on February 26, bundling eight Capcom‑developed Disney games: the six NES staples from the 2017 collection plus two SNES additions, Goof Troop and Bonkers.

On paper it is the definitive way to own this compilation. In reality, it is a very good port of a very dated set of games, elevated by one genius addition and held back by conservative feature work and some awkward pricing.

The package in 2026

The core lineup is unchanged from the original release. You get DuckTales, DuckTales 2, Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers 2, Darkwing Duck and TaleSpin. The Switch versions add two SNES titles that fans have been asking for since 2017: the co‑op overhead puzzler Goof Troop and the Bonkers side scroller.

All the extras from Digital Eclipse’s original collection return. There is instant rewind tied to a shoulder button, save states, a museum mode stuffed with key art and design docs and challenge modes like Boss Rush and Time Attack. It is the same smart wrapper that made those NES games approachable for new players, now simply transplanted to Nintendo hardware.

What you do not get is any significant new content or modes built specifically for Switch, outside of some basic controller remapping. There are no online leaderboards for the challenge modes, no online co‑op for Goof Troop and no way to mix and match filters or overlays beyond the familiar handful of presets.

Emulation quality on Switch and Switch 2

The good news is that the emulation itself is strong across both machines. On standard Switch, NES titles run at a locked 60 frames per second, with responsive input and no noticeable audio crackle. The soundtracks for DuckTales and Darkwing Duck in particular come through with clean, punchy chiptune clarity. The optional CRT and scanline filters are faithful without drowning the image in blur, though the default “clean” mode looks best on the Switch’s 720p panel.

On Switch 2, the package benefits more from the hardware bump than the marketing suggests. Image scaling is sharper on the higher resolution screen and docked output looks crisp on a 4K display, with the borders and UI elements rendered at higher resolution so nothing appears smeared or soft. Input latency feels a hair better on Switch 2 in direct side by side tests, but the difference is small enough that you will only notice it if you are chasing flawless no‑damage runs.

The SNES emulation for Goof Troop and Bonkers is similarly solid. Sprite flicker and slowdown appear to match original hardware behaviour, but there are no added hitches from the emulator itself. Color reproduction on both systems is vibrant without the oversaturated look some retro collections fall into.

There are a couple of minor disappointments. The emulator offers only a basic set of display options and there is no per game tuning for things like overscan or pixel aspect. Audio lag is acceptable in handheld, but in docked mode on some TVs you may want to enable game mode to avoid an extra layer of latency the collection does not compensate for.

Handheld play and control feel

Playing these games on a portable finally feels “right,” but the experience differs slightly between Switch and Switch 2.

On the original Switch, the Joy‑Con d‑pad substitute is still the weak link. The NES platformers demand careful, precise jumps and diagonal inputs, and the four separate face buttons are serviceable but always a bit clumsy. DuckTales pogo jumps and Chip ‘n Dale’s box throws are definitely playable, yet you will occasionally miss a ladder grab or a tight bounce in ways that feel like the hardware, not the game, failed you. An actual d‑pad on a Pro Controller or third party pad improves things dramatically.

Switch 2’s new, more traditional d‑pad solves most of those issues. Directional inputs feel closer to playing on an original NES pad, and Darkwing Duck’s tight platforming in particular benefits from the extra control. The analog sticks on both systems are fine for the slower paced titles but still not ideal for precision.

Goof Troop is the game that really comes alive in handheld. Its slower, considered movement and focus on puzzle solving instead of tight jumps make it a natural fit for portable co‑op. Sharing a pair of Joy‑Con or playing with two pads on Switch 2 feels comfortable, and the rewind function is great for families playing with younger kids.

One unfortunate holdover from 2017 is the lack of online play. Goof Troop co‑op is local only, which is a real shame in 2026. It keeps the experience authentic, but it also means many players will never see what makes that game special.

The SNES additions: Goof Troop and Bonkers

The two new games are what justify this re‑release on paper, so it is worth looking at them closely.

Goof Troop is still a gem. It plays like a light top down adventure with the structure of a puzzle game. You push blocks, fling pots, kick enemies off ledges and coordinate with a partner to hit switches and manage enemies. The tight, self contained stages make it perfect for quick sessions in handheld and the rewind feature lowers the friction when you mistime a kick or misread a puzzle. It may be the single best co‑op experience in the collection and it is a strong argument for double dipping if you already owned the earlier release elsewhere.

Bonkers is less impressive. It looks great, with colourful sprites and expressive animations, but underneath that charm is a fairly bland side scroller with floaty jumps and repetitive level design. The emulation does it justice and there is some brief fun in blowing through its short campaign on a rainy afternoon, yet it is clearly the weakest component of the Switch package. Its inclusion is welcome for completion’s sake and historical value, but it is not a selling point on its own.

Together, the SNES pair shift the collection’s balance in a useful way. The NES games skew difficult and occasionally unforgiving, even with rewind. Goof Troop offers a slower, more tactical cooperative option, while Bonkers acts as a breezy palette cleanser between tougher runs of DuckTales 2 or Rescue Rangers 2.

How do these classics hold up today?

The big question in 2026 is not whether the port is competent, but whether these games themselves are worth revisiting yet again, particularly on a system already packed with retro compilations.

The best titles still shine. DuckTales remains a superbly designed action platformer with tight physics, clever level layouts and a soundtrack that will lodge in your head for days. DuckTales 2 feels like its confident expansion, with more exploratory stages and optional treasure that reward repeat runs. Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers and its sequel are excellent cooperative platformers, and being able to toss boxes at each other in tabletop mode on Switch is still chaotic fun.

Darkwing Duck is a solid, Mega Man adjacent platformer with a great use of the license. TaleSpin is the outlier. It was divisive even in its day, with its odd mix of shooter and awkward plane physics. Younger players who grew up with modern side scrolling shooters may bounce off it hard, even with rewind.

Crucially, the modern conveniences do a lot of heavy lifting in making all of this palatable for new audiences. Rewind softens the NES era cruelty, save states let you chip away at the trickier games on a commute and the museum mode still feels like a small treasure trove of art and trivia for anyone who grew up glued to the Disney Afternoon block.

A must buy on Nintendo hardware?

That depends entirely on where you are coming from.

If this is your first time with The Disney Afternoon Collection, the Switch versions are absolutely the ones to get. You get every game currently available under this banner, strong emulation, all the quality of life perks and the flexibility of handheld or docked play. Having this set on a portable with a proper d‑pad on Switch 2 finally delivers the pick up and play experience fans have been asking for since 2017.

If you already own the collection on another platform, the value proposition is narrower. Goof Troop is fantastic and genuinely changes how you will use the collection, especially for local co‑op. Bonkers is nice to have but hardly essential. There is no upgrade path, no cross buy and no discount for existing owners, so you are essentially repurchasing a nine year old compilation at close to full price for two extra games and portability.

In 2026, that stings a bit. This is still one of the better curated retro packages on the market, but Capcom and Atari could have gone further for this Nintendo debut, particularly on the online and feature side.

Verdict

On both Switch and Switch 2, The Disney Afternoon Collection is a polished, faithful and very nostalgic bundle that finally feels at home on Nintendo hardware. The emulation is clean, handheld performance is excellent and Goof Troop in particular is a standout addition that turns an already strong compilation into something close to definitive.

At the same time, the lack of meaningful new features and the reliance on nostalgia over innovation make it harder to recommend as an automatic double dip for existing owners. For newcomers and Disney diehards on Nintendo platforms, this is an easy recommendation. For everyone else, it is a very good retro package priced like a great one.