Bloodborne Animated Movie Needs a Bandersnatch-Style Multiple-Ending Format

Bloodborne isn’t receiving a native PS5 or PC port anytime soon, but what it is receiving is an animated R-rated movie adaptation from Sony Pictures and Jacksepticeye. Details about the cast, crew, release date, and other information are being kept under wraps. Still, considering Sony Pictures’ impressive animation resume, it’s safe to say the movie adaptation of Bloodborne will be a success, especially if it adapts everything correctly.

Speaking of adapting, a movie cannot be interactive in the same way a game is, but adapting a multiple-ending format like Black Mirror: Bandersnatch could work extremely well, since Bloodborne has numerous endings, and choosing one over another could disappoint passionate fans of a specific ending.

Bloodborne Movie Should Embrace Bandersnatch’s Multiple-Ending Format

First things first, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch was an interactive film where viewers periodically made choices for the main character, Stefan Butler, a young programmer developing a video game based on a fictional “choose-your-own-adventure” fantasy novel from his childhood titled “Bandersnatch”. It’s very meta, and the story can go anywhere depending on the viewers’ choices, but according to Netflix, the interactive film has five main endings.

The movie pauses at certain points and presents viewers with two choices via the app interface. Depending on the option that you select, the narrative will branch accordingly, leading to different scenes, interactions, and, of course, different endings. For example, one ending has Stefan releasing a terrible game, while another has him killing his own father but releasing a hit game.

So, it’s a “choose-your-own-adventure” style of storytelling that the upcoming Bloodborne animated movie should embrace for its multiple-endings structure. While giving viewers multiple choices in the theatre might not be practical, the home release could easily incorporate this as an interactive feature that elevates the entire experience.

Allowing fans to make decisions that lead to different endings would better capture the spirit of the game and adapt Bloodborne more faithfully, because, again, a movie cannot be as interactive as a video game. But with the advent of choices, it can become much more engaging, and Jacksepticeye has already confirmed that he’s approaching the adaptation as a massive fan, so the multiple-ending format could work perfectly in this case.

How Many Endings Does Bloodborne Have?

Three endings, two additional boss fights! | Credits: FromSoftware

FromSoftware’s Bloodborne has three distinct endings, each depending on the choices the player makes after killing the Mergo’s Wet Nurse and returning to the Hunter’s Dream. Here’s a quick summary of all the available endings:

• Yharnam Sunrise: This ending unlocks after the player accepts Gehrman’s offer to submit their life. Gehrman will behead your character, and they will wake up in Yharnam, shining bright under the sun, freed from the Hunter’s Dream.
• Honoring Wishes: This ending unlocks if the player refuses Gehrman’s offer. You’ll then have to fight him in a boss battle, and once the deed’s done, you become the new caretaker of the Hunter’s Dream under the influence of The Moon Presence.
• Childhood’s Beginning: This is the true ending, unlocked by consuming three One Third of Umbilical Cords before refusing Gehrman’s offer and then battling him. You’ll then have to defeat The Moon Presence, and once the fight’s over, you’ll transform into an infant Great One.

Incorporating these endings in Bloodborne’s upcoming adaptation can be achieved by adopting a Black Mirror: Bandersnatch-style multiple-ending format, where viewers’ choice will ultimately determine how the rest of the story unfolds and which bosses the hunter needs to face.

So, what do you think about the upcoming Bloodborne animated feature film embracing a Bandersnatch-style multiple-ending format? Do you think it’s possible? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.