next »

[jbarrios]

I've noticed quite a few Nintendo Switch games have this effect that looks like a fake lighting effect.  At least I assume it's fake.  I know a true light takes a lot of hardware resources and the Switch is not incredibly strong.

Any idea how they do this?

[qMopey]

It's likely a fullscreen bloom effect, a post-processing effect.

https://learnopengl.com/Advanced-Lighting/Bloom

[jbarrios]

Thank you qMopey.

This led me down quite a rabbit hole.  I've always had negative assumptions about bloom.  It was always that annoying setting that made the sky look too bright and I always turned it off.

Apparently I'm not alone in this feeling.  A lot of games abuse bloom.  It seems like a pretty powerful tool when used correctly.

[qMopey]

It's nice to see Nintendo take a technique that's become aged, and use it in a way that players really appreciate. They're quite good with their designs.