History Main / MultipleEndings

The major problem with Multiple Endings is that the sequel, should the developers decide to make one, obviously has to [[CuttingOffTheBranches pick only one ending from which to continue the story]] -- [[NoCanonForTheWicked probably one of the good ones]]. This invariably occurs in adaptations to other media, such as novels, comics, and television. Video games have the technical means to solve said problem with an OldSaveBonus, wherein the previous game's conclusion becomes the player's personal canon in the sequel. The other problem is that thanks to Website/YouTube uploads, being able to view multiple endings no longer requires you to replay an entire game (perhaps in response to this, many games now have in-game rewards for getting different endings). Sometimes multiple endings require the player to do different actions or align themselves to different sides in order to see each ending, even if it means going against the main character's nature and goals to achieve it. This can make the story and characters look disjointed and confuse the player when they see the main character suddenly switching sides because of a few actions they did in a previous scene. When done poorly, having multiple endings can cause the player to have more questions than feel like the story is really resolved.

* Website/WritingDotCom features [[{{Gamebooks}} Interactive Stories]] where stories can have multiple endings, depending on the reader's choices.

* The Website/YouTube channel [[https://www.youtube.com/@HusaviProductions/videos Husavi Productions]] does videos called "all endings" which feature countries and different outcomes for them, as if the different outcomes were various video game endings. There are usually at least half a dozen per video, ranging from standard good and bad endings to AlternateTimeline endings (for example, one ending for the United Kingdom involves [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfPlantagenet the Plantagenets]] having managed to conquer and hold France during UsefulNotes/TheHundredYearsWar until they integrated England and France into one kingdom), to joke endings to BizarroUniverse endings (for example, Aztecs or other New World peoples conquering part or all of Europe), and multiple others. Some standard outcomes that feature i nearly all the videos include a country falling apart due to separatist movements or civil war, becoming Communist or remaining Communist after the fall of Communism, becoming or remaining fascist, an unlikely leader having assumed dictatorial control and drastically altering the country's historical path, etc.

* ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'': The 100th episode. The link to the video is actually three different links to videos whose only difference were the endings. The first is probably the "bad ending" with everyone killing each other, the second would be a "[[GainaxEnding weird ending]]", with the entire canyon destroyed and the series being shown to be a ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' multiplayer match, and last is the [[BittersweetEnding relatively good ending]], with the two teams returning to their endless stalemate. The DVDCommentary and future series confirms the good ending is official (which is no surprise) and also has ''four more'' endings: one in which aliens suddenly show up, kill everyone, and reenact the first episode; a remake of the "fight ending" with WhereAreTheyNow text added in (false WhereAreTheyNow text when later seasons are considered, it should be noted); an AllJustADream ending where the entire season was hallucinated by Church after being shot by the tank; and one where Andy doesn't detonate, with Tex instead just turning the ship around and blowing everyone up.

* The first [[UsefulNotes/ThreeDMovie 3D feature film]], ''The Power of Love'' (1922), used its 3D anaglyph system to achieve this. Depending on whether the viewer watched the ending through the green or the red lens of the 3D glasses, they'd see a happy or a sad ending (it probably helped that it was a silent movie, so it didn't have spoken dialogue that wouldn't fit both versions).

* CuttingOffTheBranches: There are several endings, but only one is declared canon by later installments.
* MergingTheBranches: Multiple, potentially mutually exclusive, endings are all declared canon by later installments.

* Parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/22255240/chapters/53142919 The Murder of Lila Rossi]]'', which has one canon ending revealing Lila's true killer but has a [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/22255240/chapters/55100542 bonus chapter]] with multiple alternate reveals.

* The ''True End'', the primary plot ending of a game that has multiple endings. In many Visual Novels, this ending is often the OmegaEnding, and may not be achievable if all the other endings have not been discovered yet. It basically forces the player to finish the game with the "Good End" in order to unlock the path of the true story. When it is still locked, trying to get the "True End" usually results in the "Standard End" or "Bad End" below. Getting the "True End" tends to be a, if not ''the'' main requirement to unlock any kind SecretExpandedEpilogue the game may have and will usually reveal most, if not everything that happened in the other storylines, while some events remain mysterious even when the "Good End" is achieved. The "True End" often overlaps with the GoldenEnding, but [[EarnYourBadEnding not always]]. Also, don't be surprised if there's a TrueFinalBoss at the end of this road.

* The ''True End'', the primary plot ending of a game that has multiple endings. In many Visual Novels, this ending is often the OmegaEnding, and may not be achievable if all the other endings have not been discovered yet. It basically forces the player to finish the game with the "Good End" in order to unlock the path of the true story. When it is still locked, trying to get the "True End" usually results in the "Standard End" or "Bad End" below. Getting the "True End" tends to be a, if not ''the'' main requirement to unlock the SecretExpandedEpilogue and will usually reveal most, if not everything that happened in the other storylines, while some events remain mysterious even when the "Good End" is achieved. The "True End" often overlaps with the GoldenEnding, but [[EarnYourBadEnding not always]]. Also, don't be surprised if there's a TrueFinalBoss at the end of this road.

* The ''True End'', the primary plot ending of a game that has multiple endings. In many Visual Novels, this ending is often the OmegaEnding, and may not be achievable if all the other endings have not been discovered yet. It basically forces the player to finish the game with the "Good End" in order to unlock the path of the true story. When it is still locked, trying to get the "True End" usually results in the "Standard End" or "Bad End" below. Getting the "True End" tends to be the requirement to unlock the SecretExpandedEpilogue and will usually reveal most, if not everything that happened in the other storylines, while some events remain mysterious even when the "Good End" is achieved. The "True End" often overlaps with the GoldenEnding, but [[EarnYourBadEnding not always]]. Also, don't be surprised if there's a TrueFinalBoss at the end of this road.

* The ''True End'', the primary plot ending of a game that has multiple endings. In many Visual Novels, this ending is often the OmegaEnding, and may not be achievable if all the other endings have not been discovered yet. It basically forces the player to finish the game with the "Good End" in order to unlock the path of the true story. When it is still locked, trying to get the "True End" usually results in the "Standard End" or "Bad End" below. The "True End" usually reveals most if not everything that happened in the other storylines, while some events remain mysterious even when the "Good End" is achieved. The "True End" often overlaps with the GoldenEnding, but [[EarnYourBadEnding not always]]. Also, don't be surprised if there's a TrueFinalBoss at the end of this road.

* MergingTheBranches: Multiple, potentially mutually exclusive, endings are all declared canon.

* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' and ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaPresentsTheRidonculousRace'': With the exception of ''Island (2023)'', each season has two canonical endings, with fans in each country voting for which of the Final Two will win. WordOfGod says that neither is considered more canon than the other (and the show itself generally avoids mentioning who won previous installments), though fans generally consider the "real" winner to be whomever wins in Canada, the franchise's home country. As revealed in Part 2 of ''Island (2023)'', [[spoiler:Owen]] was the winner of ''Island (2007)'', making [[spoiler:Gwen]]'s ending non-canon.

* Creator/EmperorLemon's YouTubePoop "Lightning [=McQueer=] and the Quest for Tires" has three different endings depending on which of [[Franchise/{{Cars}} the three cars']] annotations you select:
** If Lightning is selected, he loses the race to [[VideoGame/FZero Captain Falcon]], and flies around the world really fast ''Film/{{Superman|TheMovie}}''-style just so he can win. Then a text slide appears stating that since Lightning won this time, there's no reason for him to have reversed time in the first place, meaning he will never win.
** If The King (a.k.a Wrestling/RicFlair) is selected, Chick Hicks launches him into the air, causing him to land on top of Lightning when he crosses the finish line.
** If Chick Hicks is selected, he summons [[VideoGame/MarioKart Death Stare Luigi]], who knocks out The King and distracts Lightning from crossing the finish line, allowing Chick to win the race.

* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' and ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaPresentsTheRidonculousRace'': With the exception of ''Island (2023)'', each season has two canonical endings, with fans in each country voting for which of the Final Two will win. WordOfGod says that neither is considered more canon than the other (and the show itself generally avoids mentioning who won previous installments), though fans generally consider the "real" winner to be whomever wins in Canada, the franchise's home country.

* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' and ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaPresentsTheRidonculousRace'': Each season has two canonical endings, with fans in each country voting for which of the Final Two will win. WordOfGod says that neither is considered more canon than the other (and the show itself generally avoids mentioning who won previous installments), though fans generally consider the "real" winner to be whomever wins in Canada, the franchise's home country.

* The ''Good End'', one or more character-specific endings on a positive note. It's usually seperated from the Standard End by having a somewhat higher bar of entry, requiring the player does more than the just completing the main story/quest. This can come in the form of having to complete several, or even all Side Quests, find a hidden or obscure item (and sometimes even use it at the right time), beating the game within [[TimedMission a time limit]], and even a combination of some, or all of the previous criteria. If the developers are feeling merciful, the Standard Ending will often include a hint on how to unlock this ending. Sometimes referred to as the GoldenEnding (especially if the lesser options [[BittersweetEnding simply aren't]] [[DownerEnding that good]]). In {{dating sim}}s, this is usually the one where the player character gets laid.

* The ''Good End'', one or more character-specific endings on a positive note. It's usually seperated from the Standard End by having a somewhat higher bar of entry, requiring the player does more than the just completing the main story/quest. This can come in the form of having to complete several, or even all Side Quests, find a hidden or obscure item (and sometimes even use it at the right time), beating the game within [[TimedMission a time limit]], and even a combination of some, or all of the previous criteria.
If the developers are feeling merciful the Standard Ending will often include a hint on how to unlock this ending. Sometimes referred to as the GoldenEnding (especially if the lesser options [[BittersweetEnding simply aren't]] [[DownerEnding that good]]). In {{dating sim}}s, this is usually the one where the player character gets laid.

* The ''Good End'', one or more character-specific endings on a positive note. Sometimes referred to as the GoldenEnding (especially if the lesser options [[BittersweetEnding simply aren't]] [[DownerEnding that good]]). In {{dating sim}}s, this is usually the one where the player character gets laid.
* The ''True End'', the primary plot ending of a game that has multiple endings. In many {{Dating Sim}}s (and Visual Novels in general, really), this ending is often the OmegaEnding, and may not be achievable if all the other endings have not been discovered yet. It basically forces the player to finish the game with the "Good End" in order to unlock the path of the true story. When it is still locked, trying to get the "True End" usually results in the "Standard End" or "Bad End" below. The "True End" usually reveals most if not everything that happened in the other storylines, while some events remain mysterious even when the "Good End" is achieved. The "True End" often overlaps with the GoldenEnding, but [[EarnYourBadEnding not always]]. Also, don't be surprised if there's a TrueFinalBoss at the end of this road.

* The ''Standard End'', which usually involves the least effort by the player, and the only requirement is often just completing the story/main quest of the game. Often called the Normal End by VisualNovel fans. This is usually very short or unfulfilling, such as [[AWinnerIsYou a blank staff roll]], if the game is trying to push HundredPercentCompletion on you. Alternatively, it does end the main story itself on a decently happy note, but leaves some, if not all of the larger subplots hanging with minimal, if any real resolution at all. Often times, it will also include some sort of hint of varying subtlety that a more elaborate ending exists, usually by having the PlayerCharacter (or someone else) muse aloud if things could have changed if they had done ''something'' differently/put in more effort.

* The ''Standard End'', which usually involves the least effort by the player, and the only requirement is often just completing the story/main quest of the game. Often called the Normal End by VisualNovel fans. This is usually very short or unfulfilling, such as [[AWinnerIsYou a blank staff roll]], if the game is trying to push HundredPercentCompletion on you. Alternatively, it does end the story on a decently happy note, but leaves all of the larger subplots hanging with minimal, if any real resolution at all. Often times, it will also include some sort of hint of varying subtlety that a more elaborate ending exists, usually by having the PlayerCharacter (or someone else) muse aloud if things could have changed if they had done ''something'' differently/put in more effort.

* The ''Standard End'', which usually involves the least effort by the player, and the requirement is usually just completing the story/main quest of the game. Often called the Normal End by VisualNovel fans. This is usually very short or unfulfilling, such as [[AWinnerIsYou a blank staff roll]], if the game is trying to push HundredPercentCompletion on you. Alternatively, it does end the story on a decently happy note, but leaves all of the larger subplots hanging with minimal, if any real resolution at all. Often times, it will also include some sort of hint of varying subtlety that a more elaborate ending exists, usually by having the PlayerCharacter (or someone else) muse aloud if things could have changed if they had done ''something'' differently/put in more effort.

* The ''Standard End'', which usually involves the least effort by the player, and the requirement is usually just completing the story/main quest of the game. Often called the Normal End by VisualNovel fans. This is usually very short or unfulfilling, such as [[AWinnerIsYou a blank staff roll]], if the game is trying to push HundredPercentCompletion on you. Alternatively, it does end the story on a decently happy note, but leaves all of the larger subplots hanging with minimal, if any real resolution. Often times, it will also include some sort of hint of varying subtlety that a more elaborate ending exists, usually by having the PlayerCharacter (or someone else) muse aloud if things could have changed if they had done ''something'' differently/put in more effort.

* The ''Standard End'', which usually involves the least effort by the player, and the requirement is usually just completing the story/main quest of the game. Often called the Normal End by VisualNovel fans. This is usually very short or unfulfilling, such as [[AWinnerIsYou a blank staff roll]], if the game is trying to push HundredPercentCompletion on you. Alternatively, it ends the story on a decently happy note, but leaves some ''massive'' plot threads hanging with minimal resolution. Often times, it will also include some sort of hint of varying subtlety that a more elaborate ending exists, usually by having the PlayerCharacter (or someone else) muse aloud if things could have changed if they had done ''something'' differently/put in more effort.

* The ''True End'', the primary plot ending of a game that has multiple endings. In many {{Dating Sim}}s, this ending is often the OmegaEnding, and may not be achievable if the other endings are not achieved yet. It basically forces the player to finish the game with the "Good End" in order to unlock the path of the true story. When it is still locked, trying to get the "True End" usually results in the "Standard End" or "Bad End" below. The "True End" usually reveals most if not everything that happened in the other storylines, while some events remain mysterious even when the "Good End" is achieved. The "True End" often overlaps with the GoldenEnding, but [[EarnYourBadEnding not always]]. Also, don't be surprised if there's a TrueFinalBoss at the end of this road.

* Sally Dark Ride's CHALLENGE OF TUTANKHAMON is a target shooter that gives alternate endings depending on your score. Fail to reach a certain threshold, and the ride vehicle makes an early exit.