The Disney Afternoon Collection now has a physical Switch release

Atari and Digital Eclipse have released the physical edition of The Disney Afternoon Collection for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. The digital version finally hit Nintendo consoles back in February, but the physical cartridge is now available to purchase directly from Atari.

Moon song is the best song, right?

Atari is leaning heavily into 1990s nostalgia for the release. The box art uses bright geometric patterns. The physical extras feel like they were pulled straight out of a middle school backpack.

Coming home to Nintendo

The original digital release of this collection came out in 2017 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. It skipped Nintendo platforms entirely. That was a strange decision at the time. Every game in the package originally launched on the NES.

It took nine years for Capcom and Digital Eclipse to bring the games back to a Nintendo console. The new Switch version is an expanded port. The 2017 release only had six games. The Switch edition bumps that number up to eight.

The core lineup includes DuckTales, DuckTales 2, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers 2, TaleSpin, and Darkwing Duck. These are some of the best licensed platformers ever made. DuckTales still holds up beautifully thanks to its tight pogo-stick mechanics and excellent soundtrack. Darkwing Duck is basically a Mega Man game with a cape. TaleSpin takes a completely different approach. It turns Baloo the bear's cargo plane into a side-scrolling shoot 'em up.

The new additions

Atari also added two Super Nintendo games to the Switch cartridge: Goof Troop and Bonkers.

Goof Troop is the real prize here. Shinji Mikami designed it just a few years before he created Resident Evil. You can actually see some of the early survival horror DNA in its puzzle design. Players control Goofy and Max in a top-down perspective to solve environmental puzzles and throw barrels at pirates. It is one of the best co-op games on the Super Nintendo.

Bonkers is a more traditional platformer. Players control the bobcat police officer through Toontown to collect badges and throw bombs. It is not quite on the same level as DuckTales, but it rounds out the Disney Afternoon theme nicely.

What is in the box

The physical release costs $29.99 and actually puts all eight games on a single cartridge. Buyers get a reversible cover, two sticker sheets, three collectible cards, and eight retro milk caps. Yes, they are basically pogs.

Digital Eclipse handled the emulation for the entire package. The collection has modern quality-of-life additions like a rewind button to undo bad jumps, quick saves, and custom visual filters. The NES games also have Boss Rush and Time Attack modes with online leaderboards.

The gallery mode is packed with concept art, music players, and behind-the-scenes material from both Capcom and Disney. You can view original pencil sketches and marketing materials from the 1990s.

Getting these games on a physical cartridge is a nice excuse to finally pick up the expanded collection. Goof Troop alone justifies the purchase for co-op fans. Having it sitting on a shelf alongside the NES classics makes this an easy recommendation.