Line #27 Main/PreEndingCredits


1	[[quoteright:682:[[VideoGame/Borderlands1 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tvt_preendingcredits.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:682:''"[[EvilLaugh HAHAHAHAHA!]] [[SequentialBoss IT'S NOT OVER YET!]]"'']]
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4	A common practice in many forms of media is to roll the credits list after the story is told as a way of closure, TheStinger notwithstanding. However, some works go beyond that practice and roll the credits ''before'' the climax or FinalBoss fight takes place.
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6	This trope is usually played straight that way for all forms of media, but it also comes in other variations for videogames:
7	* Any time the NewGamePlus is incorporated as part of the story rather than a bonus.
8	* For games that implement AnotherSideAnotherStory, whenever there's a TrueFinalBoss it's only unlocked via completion of all other characters' respective stories.
9	* For games that implement EasyModeMockery, preventing the player from playing the final levels unless they choose the higher difficulty settings.
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11	In all cases, the key part of the trope is that the credits (or a part of them) must roll in any fashion before any kind of climax takes place. If the work, instead of a credits roll or a proper ending just features something else that can be confused with an ending signal, that's a pre-ending form of AWinnerIsYou. If the credits roll at the very beginning, without any kind of action taking place priorhand, though there's definitely overlap, that's a TitleSequence.
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13	Compare BaitAndSwitchCredits, CreativeClosingCredits, CreditsGag, FakeOutFadeOut, and ToBeContinuedRightNow all of which can have some overlap with this trope.
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15	!! This trope is subjected to Administrivia/SpoilersOff as an {{Ending Trope\|s}}, so all spoilers are left unmarked. Proceed with caution. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.
16	----
17	!! Examples
18	[[foldercontrol]]
19
20	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
21	* ''[[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion The End of Evangelion]]'' has the credits in the middle, between the two episodes that make up the movie.
22	* ''Anime/The100GirlfriendsWhoReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyLoveYou'': In Episode 8, Nano catches Rentarou in a broom closet, where she proceeds to kiss Rentarou continuously as credits start rolling. The scene is interrupted by Kusuri showing up with the antidote to the kissing zombie drug in Nano's system.
23	[[/folder]]
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25	[[folder:Film]]
26	* It was common practice for motion pictures before the 1970s to list all the credits at the beginning before any action took place. By the end of the 1970s, almost all films had shifted all but the most important credits to after the ending.
27	* A notable modern-day exception, where all of the credits are shown before the film even starts, is 2009's ''Film/EnterTheVoid''.
28	* ''Film/EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce'': The film begins to roll the credits after Evelyn appears to die. However, it turns out that when Evelyn appeared to die, we were watching [[RecursiveReality another version of the film]] that exists in an AlternateUniverse where Evelyn is an actress and her character is TheDanza. The film then continues from Evelyn's perspective.
29	[[/folder]]
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31	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
32	* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' [[PlayedForLaughs plays this for laughs]] in several episodes.
33	** "How Not to be Seen": After the end credits roll, the entire episode is re-shown at very high speed before it actually ends.
34	** "Michael Ellis": The end credits run [[ExaggeratedTrope right after the usual]] TitleSequence [[ExaggeratedTrope plays]].
35	** "The All-England Summarize Proust Competition": The end credits run right after that sketch ends.
36	** "The Golden Age of Ballooning": The end credits run at the end of that sketch, about halfway through the episode.
37	* Several episodes of ''Series/{{Screenwipe}}'' had the credits run at the start or middle of the show, as Charlie Brooker's pushback against CreditsPushback.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Video Games]]
41	* A RunningGag in the ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'' games is to roll the credits after Grunty's plan has seemingly been stopped, only to then reveal that you still need to face her in the FinalBattle.
42	* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'': Following the defeat of [[BigBad Jubileus]], it appears as though Bayonetta is fated to burn up in Earth's atmosphere alongside the remains of the boss, and the credits begin to roll..... only for the music to suddenly stop as [[TheRival Jeanne]] ''stomps'' the credits, leading to a PostFinalBoss where the witches need to smash Jubileus's remains before they wreck Earth.
43	* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'':
44	** At the end of the ''VideoGame/Borderlands1'' DLC ''The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned'', after defeating Dr. Ned's first form the game goes to the credits roll... which are suddenly shredded by Ned's second form, Undead Ned, and the player is prompted to drop off from Ned's building all the way down to a cave where the second phase of the fight begins.
45	** In ''VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderlands'' and ''VideoGame/NewTalesFromTheBorderlands'', the credits roll montage happens at the middle of every chapter, including the final chapter.
46	* ''VideoGame/DeathStranding'' rolls its credits when Sam ends up trapped on his Beach after convincing Amelie not to set off the [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Last Stranding]], with seemingly no way to return to the world of the living. He ultimately gets rescued by his support crew at BRIDGES, however, setting off the game's final act.
47	* Exaggerated in ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'', which has an opening credits sequence after the completion of the first level.
48	%% (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample) * The ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' series often has alternative endings which can be unlocked (resulting in an ending cutscene and credits, followed by a NewGamePlus) by losing to a boss, sometimes as early as the first chapter.
49	* Exaggerated in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'', where the credits appear the first time the bridge of Corneria is crossed.
50	* ''VideoGame/{{Furi}}'' plays its end credits after The Stranger successfully escapes his prison, but before he makes his way to The Star and chooses between allowing them to assimilate the Free World or rebelling against them, the latter of which sets off the TrueFinalBoss fight.
51	* Inverted in ''VideoGame/HalfMinuteHero'', which has credits after every level.
52	* Downplayed in ''VideoGame/Haven2020'', as a partial credits roll plays out while Kay and Yu make their way to the base of Source's flow bridge in order to sever it, but the full credits only play out at the very end of the story.
53	* ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'' has some retro-styled credits roll after defeating [[DiscOneFinalBoss Medusa]], only for [[TheManBehindTheMan Hades]] to literally rip through them and announce his presence. You're not even halfway through the game at this point.
54	* ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct'' is subjected to EasyModeMockery, so players are allowed to play all the way until Fulgore in the lower difficulty settings, after which the credits roll. In order to fight against Eyedol, the player must defeat Fulgore in a higher-difficulty setting.
55	* In ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'', the credits roll at high speed after defeating Macho Dedede; but since the main threat is still at large, cue the credits rewinding just as quickly. Fittingly, the music tracks played in both scenes are named "Sudden Happy Ending" and "Things Seldom Go Right..." in the original Soundtrack.
56	%% (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample) * In ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'', every game mode has its own credit rolls (though only ''Spring Breeze'', ''Milky Way Wishes'', ''Revenge of the King'' and ''Meta Knightmare Ultra'' in the remake are actual credits of the developers, while the other modes have different credit-like sequences.)
57	* Inverted in some of the VideoGame/{{Lego Adaptation Game}}s, where the CreditsRoll run after completion of each episode. They trigger every time the last level of that episode is beaten, at least in story mode.
58	* Inverted and Justified in ''VideoGame/LiveALive'', where every chapter has ending credits and they're the credits for those specific chapters, not the whole game's credits.
59	* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterRise'':
60	** The game rolls the credits after you successfully hunt a Magnamalo (the game's flagship monster) for the first time; gameplay-wise, this marks the barrier between Low and High-Rank Hunts.
61	** The credits roll again after the first fight against Thunder Serpent Narwa, which serves as the wall between the first half of high rank and the second, though it's HandWaved, as ''Rise'' had a TroubledProduction and the TrueFinalBoss of High Rank, Narwa the All-Mother, wasn't complete in time for the game's 1.0 release.
62	%% (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample) * ''VideoGame/{{NieR}}'': triggered on the first two playthroughs.
63	* Endings A and B mark the first half of ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'' and receive the end credits all the same, though the credits music is in a different language each time. The [[NonstandardGameOver joke endings]] also get in on the action, but it zips through the credits on fast forward.
64	* ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'': Both ''2'' and ''4'' are divided up into two "parts," where the credits only roll when the player finishes the first part:
65	** ''VideoGame/Pikmin2'': The first part is about Olimar and Louie trying to collect treasure in order to pay off a debt of 10,000 pokos. Once the debt is paid, they return back home, and the credits roll. However, said credits show that Louie was left behind during the takeoff, so now it's up to Olimar and the President to try to find Louie for the second part, as well as collect the rest of the treasure while they're at it.
66	** ''VideoGame/Pikmin4'': The first part is about the Rescue Corp trying to rescue Olimar as well as collect treasure to get enough sparklium to power the S.S. Beagle in order to get home. Once Olimar is rescued and cured of being a leafling, the Rescue Corp and Olimar travel home and the credits roll, but they show that Louie has tamed Moss, hinting more to come. Indeed, right after the credits, it's revealed that, somewhere along the lines, Oatchi has mutated and now has a leaf on his tail like Moss. This means that he cannot leave PNF-404 without getting horribly sick. The second part is then about trying to find a cure for Oatchi and rescuing the remaining castaways as well as collecting the rest of the treasure.
67	* Exaggerated in ''VideoGame/PlantsVersusZombies'', which rolls the credits after the first adventure campaign is cleared. After that players get the second campaign, all the minigames, the zen garden, gathering money to buy all the extra plants, and so on...
68	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
69	** In the main games, beating the Elite Four will cause the credits to roll and the NewGamePlus to be unlocked, but from ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' onwards, there's still a lot more to be done (story-wise) after that.
70	** ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers of Sky'' has credits after the DiscOneFinalBoss and at the end of every special episode (special episodes are AnotherSideAnotherStory missions) but NOT after the TrueFinalBoss.
71	%% (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample) * ''VideoGame/Rayman2TheGreatEscape'' triggers the CreditsRoll if players choose the treasure instead of the elixir.
72	* In ''VideoGame/SpiderManAndVenomMaximumCarnage'', after the player defeats Carnage and his family, a cutscene will play where Spider-Man confronts an angry Venom and the credits start to play. However, part way through, an EvilLaugh echoes and the credits race upwards as Carnage surfaces in the nearby lake, kicking off the two-part FinalBoss.
73	%% (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample) * The ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games roll credits every time they beat a game mode.
74	* Exaggerated in ''[[InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt Tom Mason's]] VideoGame/DinosaursForHire'': Upon completing the prelude level, the credits come up as if it's the end of the game, though it only shows the studio that developed the game and the programmers before the credits were quickly retracted to the bottom of the screen and the following text shows up: "Whoa! Slight problem with your Genesis' [[InJoke Blast Processing]] Unit! Psych!!!"
75	* ''[[VideoGame/WWEVideoGames WWE '12]]'': Road to Wrestlemania rolls the credits after the player's custom wrestler [[HeadsIWinTailsYouLose loses]] his Wrestling/WrestleMania match. Shortly into the credits, they get interrupted by Wrestling/KevinNash, who has now performed a HostileShowTakeover, WWE being replaced by a revived Wrestling/{{WCW}}, leading into the final stretch of the story, which entails reversing said takeover.
76	* Inverted in ''VideoGame/TheWitchAndTheHundredKnight'' rolls the game's credits after the end of each chapter.
77	* ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder'' is another exaggeration. The game rolls its credits after B.J. and either Wyatt or Fergus survive 1946, right after B.J. chooses which soldier to sacrifice to Deathshead. If no choice is taken, all three of them are executed and the game outputs a NonStandardGameOver.
78	[[/folder]]
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80	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
81	* This happens about half-way through ''VisualNovel/DaCapoII''. Once you reach the Winter Holidays, they play a montage accompanied by credits.
82	* In ''VisualNovel/PrincessWaltz'', a little less than halfway through the game, one of the main characters dies, "BAD END" is displayed, and the credits roll. This is especially odd because there were literally no choices up to that point; [[ButThouMust so it's completely unavoidable]]. But once players reach the title screen, "Chapter Two" appears, and players can continue the game.
83	[[/folder]]
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85	[[folder:Western Animation]]
86	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gemusetto}}: Machu Pichu'' has six parts, with the credits rolling at the end of part five (which has a video of the show's creator as a stinger).
87	[[/folder]]

Context Main / PreEndingCredits