Verso is a piece of ♥♥♥♥ (very heavy spoiler)

[Thanquol]

Verso is an omega ♥♥♥♥.
The whole time his goal is to kill everyone to protect his fake god mother, using what is, as far has we know sentient being as a tool, never questioning that maybe he could kick daddy out instead.

He ON PURPOSE left Gustave die just to make sure he would not be in his way.

And when the ending happen what does he do, he throw a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ tentrum and decide ♥♥♥♥ it, let's kill everyone again and this time for good just to make sure my fake god sister can live her real life in a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ body, in pain, without voice. Becasue ♥♥♥♥♥♥ REAL is better than great FAKE

Invalidating by the way the whole purpose of his god sister autonomy. Because no way she can make the decision to left the canvas a day or two to regen her chroma. And even if she would not. That's not his ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ choice.

His whole reasoning is that the REAL world is better than the FAKE world. but there is no ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ truth to that. Canvas people have autonomies, dream and wants and are just has much real has people from the REAL world expect that they are from a magic land create by his 5 years old self.

♥♥♥♥ verso.

[Ratsplat]

Not just him. The writing at the end was sadly a bit disappointing since Sciel and Lune basically just had one line each and didn't even think to beg or plead for their lives. They just went with the flow. Which Gustave surely would not have stood for.

[Nima2150]

are you calm now after posting your emotional essay?

[Alt]

Do you know that his mother and sister were risking dying from prolonged exposure to Canvas? For him life of real Alicia and Aline is more important than this world. And after their deaths Canvas would follow next. Because who would support its life?

[NijimaXL]

He's just a memory

[Shin Happens]

Verso is kind of an ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, but you have to remember that he has been living for at least 67 years, maybe even longer (no one knows exactly when he was painted and how long Aline was in the canvas in canvas world time before Renoir came after her to get her out), knowing he is a recreation of the real Verso, meant to comfort his mother Aline who can't cope and can't accept he's dead. So he's clinically depressed maybe. Suicidal. I get that. That all makes sense. His painted sister Alicia is also weary of her existence, especially since Aline painted her in her burned form, and also wants to die / gommage. And Maelle eventually grants her this wish... even though it is highly ironic that Verso does not approve of that AT ALL when Maelle grants Alicia's wish without consulting Verso first or allowing him to talk to her (and maybe out of it).

But yes, he's also a pathological liar, very manipulative and extremely selfish. That he has zero regard for the living people in the canvas is even evil. He absolutely should know better... in fact, the game even allows for Verso to sleep with either Lune or Sciel, he bonds with them - and does not give a hoot about their lives towards the end, because it's all about ME ME ME ME ME, never anyone else. But again, since he's almost certainly clinically depressed in a way and suicidal it still makes sense for him to be like that, I guess.

But it felt somewhat forced how both endings are terrible in their own way, you either destroy the world, killing everyone so four people can feel better eventually, or Maelle is overcome by chroma and overpaints Verso just so he is with her, even if he never wanted that (and is still suffering). Especially Maelle in her ending did not feel at all like the Maelle in the game, at least to me.

And as was said here... it's a bit disappointing that none of the Lumèrians had ANY agency whatsoever towards the end and were just along for the ride and had nothing to say really and do not even plead. Yes, the game was primarily about the family, but to sideline the other characters completely feels like a mistake for me, there 100% should have been three endings.

1. Verso, as is
2. Maelle, as is
3. A Lumière ending where Lune/Sciel convince Verso and Maelle that they and all of Lumière, even the Gestrals, have a right to live and live a life without their constant meddling, that they, as their quasi creator gods, have a responsibility, and they would have convinced Maelle to grant Verso his wish (to end his existence) and they would have convinced Maelle that it is best for her to leave, at least for now, so she can learn to cope and to grieve but that she can always return once she has processed everything and knows she can't actually live inside the canvas because it would kill her and eventually corrupt her

I really, really hope a DLC can rectify this and expand on the ending, maybe add a true ending, one that is not as bleak and also considers the viewpoint of Lune, Sciel and the others.

[MrVader]

from my understanding.

he didnt leave gustave to die coz he would be in his way. gustav would be reason for maelle to not leave the canvas so he let him die so its one reason less for maelle to stay in this fake world. (you get this if u pick "tell the truth" option with maelle relationship)

he was recruited/ (implied created clae to help her father get her mother out) as she has real life problems to look after and cant help father to bring her mother out alone.
he and renour were trying to get his mother out and caused fracture. but verso cared about this fake world and people in it unlike renour who only saw this as fake world and didnt care about anyone in it except his own family and they had fall out. but still both their goals are same.. get alicia and mama out.
mealle once she got her memories back was horrified of life outside the canvas and wants to stay in with her new gotten power and bring back people with w/e chroma is left in the canvas which is not enough and people who come back are not the same people anyways.

there is even a heartfelt discussion with scael that knowing its not the same people she knew would she still bring back her dead husband.

[DooG Is Eternal]

His real main motive is he is just sick of this immortal fake life / lie. He doesn't want to live his fake life anymore. I think

Him caring for his fake family, want them to move on and not die in the canvas is just more motivation for him to destroy everything in the canvas. He would gladly at that point do whatever it takes to make sure his plan succeed.

[Shin Happens]

Originally posted by DooG Is Eternal:

His real main motive is he is just sick of this immortal fake life / lie. He doesn't want to live his fake life anymore. I think

Correct, but none of that means the canvas has to be destroyed, Maelle (or the parents or Clea even) could easily just unpaint / gommage him. Suffering is over. He would be no more. Verso actually wanting to destroy the canvas is pretty messed up and evil when you think about all the implications.

[Lovise]

Well If you look at it this way... This game is all about Verso. The reason why the family is in the canvas in the first place is because verso's soul is painting. That is to say the backbone of the canvas IS Verso. Verso himself is tried of it all, as he stated. So is it too much for him to "want to rest eternally"?

So the question here should be if verso stops painting... what would happen to the world in the canvas? I'm actually curious on what happen to the world in the painting if no painter is left to paint.

Put yourself in Verso's shoe. If you are already dead and you are just a ghost... Would you want someone you love to sacrifice their life just to keep your ghostliness around a little longer? Do you want them to die with you? Especially if they are truly your family. Think what would happen when Maelle dies in the canvas for you. The parents will lost another; and I honestly won't think the paintress will be able to go on. The dad will definitely grief and self blame for letting Maelle stays in the painting. So as Verso what would you do for your family?

But sadly; we the player (I think even the devs themselve dunno) what is the price to pay for painting in the canvas. As the dad mention...

[Scrounger]

Originally posted by Shin Happens:

snip

3. A Lumière ending where Lune/Sciel convince Verso and Maelle that they and all of Lumière, even the Gestrals, have a right to live and live a life without their constant meddling, that they, as their quasi creator gods, have a responsibility, and they would have convinced Maelle to grant Verso his wish (to end his existence) and they would have convinced Maelle that it is best for her to leave, at least for now, so she can learn to cope and to grieve but that she can always return once she has processed everything and knows she can't actually live inside the canvas because it would kill her and eventually corrupt her

This is a huge problem here. You don't have enough information to say this ending is even possible. How do others in the painter's/writer's world view the sentience created in the paintings? There are at least two very separate and very distinct realities here.

Seems pretty casual to me, with not one mention in the game of the issues that may or may not present in their world.

For all we know, this kind of thing is super common in their world, and the lives in the paintings are completely worthless.

I mean, the painters are de facto gods to the creations in the paintings.

In this context these paintings would be similar to a drug to the beings outside of the paintings.

[Spectre]

Guys, the truth is they really dropped the ball with this plot of: ‘We created an amazing world, with a fantastic motivation, with well-developed characters! But forget all of that! Look at this plot twist! None of it matters, it was all make-believe, and this family over here is what’s important—characters you don’t care about and that we didn’t bother to develop throughout the story. Cool, right?’
People need to learn that not every story needs a plot twist

[Nima2150]

Originally posted by Lovise:

Well If you look at it this way... This game is all about Verso. The reason why the family is in the canvas in the first place is because verso's soul is painting. That is to say the backbone of the canvas IS Verso. Verso himself is tried of it all, as he stated. So is it too much for him to "want to rest eternally"?

So the question here should be if verso stops painting... what would happen to the world in the canvas? I'm actually curious on what happen to the world in the painting if no painter is left to paint.

Put yourself in Verso's shoe. If you are already dead and you are just a ghost... Would you want someone you love to sacrifice their life just to keep your ghostliness around a little longer? Do you want them to die with you? Especially if they are truly your family. Think what would happen when Maelle dies in the canvas for you. The parents will lost another; and I honestly won't think the paintress will be able to go on. The dad will definitely grief and self blame for letting Maelle stays in the painting. So as Verso what would you do for your family?

But sadly; we the player (I think even the devs themselve dunno) what is the price to pay for painting in the canvas. As the dad mention...

I'm not sure that the canvas was necessarily destroyed in verso ending , it could be that only those who crossed that barrier were unpainted or maybe they were just transported back , only thing that was certain is that the ghost of verso was finally at peace and able to move on , that doesn't mean the canvas can't exist without him

[parent child bowl]

Originally posted by Nima2150:

Originally posted by Lovise:

Well If you look at it this way... This game is all about Verso. The reason why the family is in the canvas in the first place is because verso's soul is painting. That is to say the backbone of the canvas IS Verso. Verso himself is tried of it all, as he stated. So is it too much for him to "want to rest eternally"?

So the question here should be if verso stops painting... what would happen to the world in the canvas? I'm actually curious on what happen to the world in the painting if no painter is left to paint.

Put yourself in Verso's shoe. If you are already dead and you are just a ghost... Would you want someone you love to sacrifice their life just to keep your ghostliness around a little longer? Do you want them to die with you? Especially if they are truly your family. Think what would happen when Maelle dies in the canvas for you. The parents will lost another; and I honestly won't think the paintress will be able to go on. The dad will definitely grief and self blame for letting Maelle stays in the painting. So as Verso what would you do for your family?

But sadly; we the player (I think even the devs themselve dunno) what is the price to pay for painting in the canvas. As the dad mention...

I'm not sure that the canvas was necessarily destroyed in verso ending , it could be that only those who crossed that barrier were unpainted or maybe they were just transported back , only thing that was certain is that the ghost of verso was finally at peace and able to move on , that doesn't mean the canvas can't exist without him

Er, yes the canvas was destroyed in Verso's ending. Yes, Verso's soul fragment was what kept the canvas "alive". It absolutely can't exist without Verso's soul fragment. That's how canveses work.

[Nima2150]

Originally posted by parent child bowl:

Originally posted by Nima2150:

I'm not sure that the canvas was necessarily destroyed in verso ending , it could be that only those who crossed that barrier were unpainted or maybe they were just transported back , only thing that was certain is that the ghost of verso was finally at peace and able to move on , that doesn't mean the canvas can't exist without him

Er, yes the canvas was destroyed in Verso's ending. Yes, Verso's soul fragment was what kept the canvas "alive". It absolutely can't exist without Verso's soul fragment. That's how canveses work.

So every other canvas that the family is created is also full of dead civilizations ?

[Misa]

100% agree.
Also if you don't do the sidequest for painted alicia, verso's ending means he kills his own sister for his "fake" sister maelle. Also fights his own father to the death. Then basically allows painter renoir to commit genocide. I think both endings are pretty ass.

I wouldn't call the canvas a "fake" world, though. It's just different.