The Disney Afternoon Collection doesn’t feel like simply another retro re-release – it feels more like someone dug up a box of old cartridges, cleaned them up, and handed them back with a grin.
This curated time capsule pulls together six NES favourites and throws in two SNES additions (Bonkers and Goof Troop) as exclusive extras, now modernised with features like rewind and time‑attack modes alongside a digitised museum that helps you to learn more about their place in gaming history. You can read more about our thoughts in our review.
To learn more about how the compilation has at long last made it to Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch, we were grateful to have the chance to speak to Digital Eclipse editorial director Chris Kohler – covering the developer revisiting the release nearly a decade on, which game he would champion, and which toon hero could survive a Level 10 Spicy Curry.
Nintendo Insider: How has it been for you to revisit this release nearly a decade later?
Chris Kohler: I personally did not work on the original release, but I took great inspiration from it as I took over editorial at Digital Eclipse in 2020. I thought what Frank Cifaldi (now the head of the Video Game History Foundation) did with the original research into the NES games, and how he presented that within the Gallery mode, was quite impressive and was something I had not seen in previous collections. Not only did he track down very cool behind-the-scenes materials, but he put them into proper context and presented them in an entertaining way, giving the effect of walking through a true virtual museum that was not only a collection of materials, but was properly curated and organized with an editorial eye. So, when going back to this game with the intent of adding even more content, I felt I had a good appreciation of what the original team had done and why it was special, and looked for ways to add to that while keeping the same spirit.
Nintendo Insider: Can you go into why The Disney Afternoon Collection wasn’t on Switch back in 2017?
Chris Kohler: I can’t speak to the original publisher’s decision-making process, but it’s probably helpful to remember that the original Switch had not launched yet when the original version was in development, and was an unknown quantity when it came to what sorts of games might be successful on the platform. Today, it’s very clear that the Switch audience loves to play all-time classic games like these, so we’re happy to bring The Disney Afternoon Collection to Nintendo platforms for the first time.
Nintendo Insider: Which of the included games would you champion most to newcomers and why?
Chris Kohler: We’ve made every game more accessible to new players through the save-anywhere and Rewind functions, and since some of these games are definitely “8-bit hard,” being able to rewind after accidentally sending Scrooge McDuck down a bottomless pit is really helpful. If you’re looking for a place to start, I’d definitely recommend the first DuckTales for, amongst other reasons, the soundtrack full of certified bangers.
Nintendo Insider: How did the idea of adding Goof Troop and Bonkers to the collection come about?
Chris Kohler: Like the original six games in the collection, Goof Troop and Bonkers are based on Disney animated series that aired during The Disney Afternoon after-school programming block in the 1990s, so it made perfect sense to add these two games for a definitive collection of The Disney Afternoon-inspired console games that were originally developed by Capcom.
Nintendo Insider: Given the time taken to bring this to Nintendo consoles, it is good to see the newly added games, but are there any plans to bring these to other platforms or do more games as DLC for Switch 1 and 2 later on?
Chris Kohler: The Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 versions of The Disney Afternoon Collection are published by Atari, and we have no connection or control over the previously-published versions. We have no current plans for DLC for the Switch and Switch 2 versions.
Nintendo Insider: Were there ever any plans to add the Game Boy versions of The Disney Afternoon games? Can you talk about why they didn’t make it in?
Chris Kohler: With every project, we have to make decisions about what to prioritize, and in this case we felt that adding the highly fan-requested Goof Troop and Bonkers games was the best place to focus our efforts.
Nintendo Insider: With the shift in publisher, was the idea of pursuing any of the non-Capcom Disney Afternoon games considered for this release?
Chris Kohler: The main goal of this release was to bring the games to the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 and with that two extra games which match the original collection and were highly requested by the fans.
Nintendo Insider: What were the main challenges involved with bringing The Disney Afternoon Collection to Nintendo platforms?
Chris Kohler: Nothing specific to Nintendo platforms, but seeing the reaction to the announcement, I’m glad that we took on the extra challenges of producing a physical version of the game for the first time, as well as releasing it in territories that the original collection had the opportunity to, such as Japan.
Nintendo Insider: For those who want to play on both consoles, is there any advantage to buying the Switch 2 native release over the Switch 1 version on Switch?
Chris Kohler: If you buy one version of the game digitally, you will also get the other version for free. As far as physical games go – since the features are identical between both versions, you can buy the version for the specific device that you own and get the same experience. Also, if you’re like me and enjoy seeing your games lined up on the shelf, you can choose the version with a spine that looks like the ones next to it. 🙂
Nintendo Insider: What should we expect when it comes to input lag docked and handheld?
Chris Kohler: While the nature of projects like these always means that some small degree of latency will be introduced, we take what steps we can to ensure that this does not negatively affect your enjoyment of the games!
Nintendo Insider: Will the Switch 2 version support GameShare to play with others online?
Chris Kohler: While both versions support online leaderboards for the Boss Rush and Time Attack modes in the six NES games, online co-op play and GameShare are not supported in this release.
Nintendo Insider: Uncle Scrooge, Chip, Dale, Baloo, Darkwing Duck, Goofy, and Bonkers. Which of these heroes do you think could best handle a Level 10 Spicy curry at Coco Ichiban Curry? Who’s settling for sweet?
Chris Kohler: I’ve been to Coco Ichibanya a lot but I’ve only ever seen someone legitimately eat a Level 10 one time, and when they brought the plate out it looked like staring into the caldera of an active volcano. I would not wish it on anyone, but since the Hot Sauce item in Bonkers causes him to comically blow steam out of his ears and gives him temporary invincibility, I feel he could handle it the best.
The Disney Afternoon Collection is now available digitally on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch worldwide. The physical edition will hit retailers from 29 May 2026.
