For those who grew up in the early 1990s, the “Disney Afternoon” wasn’t just a programming block—it was a daily ritual. Countless hours were spent parked in front of the television, enthralled by the adventures of TaleSpin, Darkwing Duck, and their animated peers. When the Disney Afternoon Collection first debuted in 2017, it served as a digital time capsule, transporting players back to those simpler times. Now, it’s time to clear some space on the couch once again, as the collection is returning with an enhanced release featuring two additional titles.
This updated Disney Afternoon Collection is set to launch on February 26, arriving as an exclusive for the Nintendo Switch and the upcoming Switch 2. While digital storefronts will carry the title, enthusiasts of tangible media will be pleased to know that physical copies are also on the way. This latest iteration bundles everything from the original 2017 release with two Super Nintendo classics. While both additions are welcome, one in particular carries a legendary development pedigree.
The 1993 Super Nintendo adaptation of Goof Troop officially joins the roster. While the show itself remains a beloved cornerstone of the era—eventually spawning a cult-classic feature film—the game is famous for a more technical reason: its design.
Goof Troop was co-designed by none other than Shinji Mikami. Just three years after working on this whimsical Disney title, Mikami would go on to revolutionize the industry by directing the original Resident Evil. His illustrious career eventually led to the founding of Tango Gameworks, the creative force behind The Evil Within franchise.
The second new addition, Bonkers, arrived on the SNES in 1994. Based on the zany series about a cartoon bobcat turned police officer, the game never quite reached the heights of its predecessors. Like the show itself, Bonkers occupied a strange niche in the Disney lineup, featuring a protagonist who lacked the immediate recognition of Disney’s more established icons.
The full library for the collection includes:
- Goof Troop (SNES)
- Bonkers (SNES)
- DuckTales (NES)
- DuckTales 2 (NES)
- Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers (NES)
- Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers 2 (NES)
- TaleSpin (NES)
- Darkwing Duck (NES)
For newcomers, this is a comprehensive treasury of 8-bit and 16-bit history. Even for those who already own the previous version, the transition to Nintendo’s hybrid hardware makes this an enticing prospect; these bite-sized adventures are perfectly suited for handheld play.
While the developers have preserved the original aesthetic and control schemes, they’ve also implemented modern quality-of-life features. Every game now supports save states and a “rewind” function to mitigate retro difficulty. Furthermore, the collection includes a museum’s worth of archival Disney assets, a dedicated music player, and a high-resolution gallery. For the competitive crowd, the six NES titles feature online leaderboards and dedicated speed-running modes.
While some fans might have hoped for a flamboyant special edition featuring a solid-gold Scrooge McDuck, the physical release scheduled for May is still packed with charm. Along with the game cartridge, buyers will receive sticker sheets, nostalgic postcards, a reversible cover, and even milk caps. If you aren’t familiar with that last item, just ask a Gen-Xer or Millennial about the Pog craze of the mid-90s.
Source: Polygon
