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The NintendoWare Bezel Engine is a Nintendo-developed engine/middleware for use on the Nintendo Switch as an addition to NintendoWare. While Nintendo uses it internally, third party developers are also allowed to use the engine, possibly through an approval process. It was formally announced at GDC in April 2018.
Main Features[]
- Built-in shader system (PBR)
- Post effects
- 3D physics engine (using NVIDIA's PhysX system)
- 2D physics engine (using Box2D or LiquidFun)
- Scripting (via Lua) and a dedicated scripting debugger
- Networking system (Nintendo's peer-to-peer Pia network system or NEX)
- Nintendo Switch System Feature support (ex. HD Rumble and the IR Motion Camera)
- Complete asset building system
Expendability[]
Bezel Engine is incredibly extensible for developers, allowing for modular capabilities inside of the engine itself. As well as that, developers are able to combine any library with Bezel Engine. Open source libraries, proprietary/confidential libraries, and also commercial libraries are able to be combined with Bezel Engine, forming a more modular developer environment.
Bezel Engine is also "technically" backwards compatible with NintendoWare, meaning that developers who have used the software before should be more familiar with it, as well as having the ability of porting over assets and audio that they've made to Bezel Engine.
Source Availability[]
Bezel Engine is a Nintendo developer tool, and as such is confidential. Acquiring the source code as a third-party developer requires explicit permission from Nintendo, and they expressly forbid the public distribution of its source code.
Games using Bezel Engine[]
First Party[]
Note: Some games on the list may not be confirmed to use Bezel Engine, as developers using Bezel Engine are required to show that the game is, in fact, using the engine in the game at some point. Some games on the list (ex. Super Mario Party and Tetris 99) show in the credits the Bezel Engine logo or the copyright information "Made with NintendoWare Bezel Engine."
- Super Mario Party
- Tetris 99
- Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch
- Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
- Super Mario Bros. 35
- WarioWare: Get It Together!
- Mario Party Superstars
- Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain
- Everybody 1-2-Switch!
- WarioWare: Move It!
- Endless Ocean Luminous
Third Party[]
Note: Nintendo has confirmed the existence of at 33 "non-Nintendo" or third-party retail titles that use Bezel Engine. However, they do not list all of the games that use it. This list may be incomplete.
- Vroom in the Night Sky
- Sumikko Gurashi: Sumikko Park e Youkoso
- Pac-Man 99