Metaphor’s thief starts out lower than the rest of the crew. Heismay isn’t the bright-eyed optimist that you’d expect to find fighting for a better, more progressive world. He starts off as a recluse, accused of a crime he didn’t commit, all while trying to grieve his lost son. When the one thing that was your whole world is gone, what point is there in hoping for a better day? Heismay is a punching bag wherever he goes. He’s subject to prejudice for being a eugief and his own people have their own reasons for subjecting him to cruel and unusual punishment. If there was ever a person who had a reason to cast all hope and compassion aside, it’s Heismay. But just because one loses their way without a light doesn’t mean they have to stumble through the dark. Heismay doesn’t have his son to care for any longer, but he still finds ways to honor him, telling stories of the child he lost so he never forgets the guiding light he once had.
Moving forward when you feel like you have nothing to live for can seem impossible, even if you have people who support you through your darkest moments. Heismay was nearly too far gone, feeling too weak to carry on. He was ready to die in the sandworm-infested desert and leave the uncaring world behind him. But finding something to live for in a world that feels rigged against you and makes you face constant heartache and loss is true strength. Heismay is half the size of his teammates but with twice the heart. He is the struggle of Metaphor: ReFantazio personified, finding hope in a world that has given him no reason to so much as look for it.
For more on Metaphor: ReFantazio, check out Kotaku’s review.
