In light of Clair Obscur’s recent, well-deserved success, I found myself revisiting all of the things that prompted me to choose it as my personal highlight in a year of incredible games. As somebody all too familiar with the cycle of grief myself, the Dessendre family’s pain was mine, presented through the game’s excellent form of cinematic storytelling.
But in the choice between Maelle and Verso, I hadn’t really been able to pick a winner when everything that the two Painters had to go through with the rest of the Expedition was so fresh in my mind. I picked Maelle, spurred on by Jennifer English’s earnestness and raw vulnerability. And of course, what I saw prompted me to dive right back into a New Game Plus run, where I went with Verso’s poignant appeal to bring him the release he desired with all his heart.
I’ve had some time to process the emotions that came along with those epic conclusions. And I do think that if I had to do it all again (which is a very strong possibility courtesy of the Thank You update and a holiday break), it’s Verso who gets my vote despite the merit I see in Maelle’s decision to keep her world alive. I’m well aware, however, that many of you might disagree.
Well, allow me the chance to convince you otherwise. Of course, if you haven’t had the chance to experience this adventure for yourself, there are going to be major spoilers ahead, so you might want to come back to this one once you get to make the choice for yourself at least once. Trust me when I say it’s going to be worth it. Let’s get started!
Father of the Year
We begin, of course, with Renoir, a man driven to the limits of his patience as he attempts to rescue his wife and daughter from the grief of losing Verso in the real world, even as he attempts to come to terms with that tragic loss himself. As The Curator, his motivations in bringing an end to the Paintress’ world involve helping his wife and daughter come to terms with Verso’s loss, a feat they can only achieve if his painted world in the Canvas is taken off the board.
Renoir’s wish to erase Verso’s canvas comes not from a desire to erase his memory, but to give closure to a family that’s very much alive but stuck in limbo in their refusal to process their grief healthily. He is a husband and a father, being torn apart by the sight of more members of a family he loves deeply withering away before his very eyes. His stalemate with The Paintress shows his determination to bring them back from the brink, and the compassion he shows towards Maelle, even as he places himself squarely against her, is proof of that.
To Renoir, Maelle is now Alicia, her memories and body restored. She is the sister that Verso gave his life to save in the real world, now made whole and perhaps able to live the life that her brother wanted her to have. But he also acknowledges her agency, imploring her to return to him and not wither away in the world she has built for herself, no matter how real it is to her after he is defeated. He sets the stage for either of the game’s endings perfectly.
But in Verso and Maelle’s respective journeys, we see how Sandfall constantly foreshadowed it all before bringing things to an epic conclusion. Let’s begin with Verso.
A Long Life Lived?
Verso is tired of his immortality within the Canvas he created. He makes that quite clear from the time he joins forces with the Expedition. He wants an end to it all, being held off by the painted version of his father created by Aline in order to protect her. But there’s also the fragment of his soul that we constantly encounter as we make our way through the Continent, giving us clues about the Painter’s complicated history that only really make sense once we have the whole picture.
I do agree with Verso. Living with loss is certainly exhausting, and the knowledge that he would have to endure the grief of all the people who had come and gone from his life as he lived it in the Canvas is sure to weigh on even the strongest, bravest warrior. He’s an unwilling survivor in this world, insulated from death by a mother who could not let him go.
And yet, he’s also a sensitive, caring person who truly bonds with the Expedition and fights alongside them, learning more about their lives and building a connection that’s as real as it can get in a world that’s built on an illusion. It’s those bonds that make his choice to bring an end to it all even more significant.
The way I see it, he chooses to sacrifice everything he holds dear in his world in order to let the mother and sister he never really knew have a chance at living a life that’s not an illusion. Despite all of his experience being very real to him, he chooses to sacrifice it all on the altar of his family, mirroring the sacrifice that the real Verso made for his sister.
Maelle may not agree with him, and I might have agreed with her if I didn’t know that grief is almost a duty we carry towards a loved one who is no more. Verso understands that sentiment, having seen so many such individuals come and go throughout his life. His choice is an impossible one, but making it allows his soul to finally rest, while his “family” can finally come to terms with his loss.
Verso knew he – and everything he lived through- was not real. The sadness I felt for the Dessendre family certainly was, though. It’s probably why I was curious to see what siding with Maelle could bring to the story’s conclusion.
A Life Yet To Be Lived
Maelle’s own arc is perhaps as tragic as Verso’s. Her life was spent feeling isolated and different until Gustave and Sophie showed her the love and affection Alicia might have had in another timeline where she wasn’t blamed for Verso’s death. And once she regains her memories, everything she does is to preserve the lives of the people she fought so hard to save.
Her decision to preserve the Canvas and risk withering away within its confines does make sense. To her, Verso’s world mattered more than the real one. And given her maturity in so many conversations with the Expedition’s members, it’s a choice I almost respect. Almost.
However, despite Maelle (or Alicia) being wiser than her years, having gone through so much that could have had any other adolescent unable to even process it all, the fact remains that she still is an adolescent. Her decision to keep the Canvas alive and the grim reality that she brings to it are a reflection of that immaturity, an unwillingness to grow into the woman her brother and father hoped she would become.
It’s clear in the tension in her eyes, and Verso’s grim expression as he approached a piano he once loved to play. His life wasn’t his choice, but Maelle’s, and as such, it is a selfish choice. But it isn’t entirely unexpected. If you followed Maelle’s journey through to its end, her decision to expel Alicia from the Canvas before Verso could say goodbye to the sister he thought was his is quite the revelation.
It showcases a sort of arrogance, an almost unshakeable belief that her newfound powers give her the right to make decisions unilaterally, no matter the consequences. Verso’s love for her might have allowed him to reconcile himself with that decision, but it never really sat well with me. And yet, she did have the right to make that choice and was perhaps even justified in doing so.
She lost just as much as Verso did, her young age perhaps limiting her from understanding that true grief and recovering from it begins with letting go of your attachment to that person, whilst continuing to keep their memory alive as part of the life you live in their absence. She chose a life free of pain, even if it meant she gave up on one that might have given her the closure she needed. It also tied the painted Verso to the Canvas, continuing the torment of his soul’s last remnant as he would have to keep painting endlessly, stuck in limbo between the Canvas and the real world.
Although her decision is justified from the standpoint of her character arc, it’s still one made by someone who may have thought differently had she had the chance to live a life that was as full as Verso’s.
What Does The Future Hold For the Painters?
Revisiting the incredible conclusions to Sandfall’s pilot project has me wondering what the studio could decide to do if it decides to take us back to Lumiere and the Continent. Expedition Zero might be a good place to start, allowing us to see the early days of Lumiere’s fight against The Paintress and the manner in which the technology that protected it was developed. I’d definitely not say no to an adventure with Expedition 60 either!
But I think that leaving the Canvas altogether is a great idea, taking us to the larger conflict between the Painters and the Writers. It could be a great way of revealing the events that led to the writers’ attack on Verso and Alicia, while perhaps giving Clea a more active role in a new story that showcases her tenacity and ruthless efficiency.
Whatever Sandfall decides, I can only hope that the studio sustains the quality of this one and perhaps gives us another story that demonstrates the beauty in art, and how it can either help a person process the most melancholy emotions or become a prison from which they cannot escape in the process of their grief.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
