This article contains spoilers for Resident Evil 7, its DLC, and Resident Evil Village.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard introduced fans to the horrifying Baker Family, which many remember for their dysfunctional relationships and disturbing transformations. Resident Evil 7 is also praised for its gameplay, which offered a fresh experience from the usual zombie shooter as the protagonist, Ethan Winters, navigates the Baker house to find his wife and uncover how Eveline mind-controlled and infected them.
Throughout Resident Evil 7's story, Ethan has to fight off Jack and Marguerite Baker and overcome Lucas Baker's traps around the Baker Ranch. He is also guided by Zoe Baker, the only one in the family who's able to resist Eveline's mind control, despite being infected by the virus that the young girl brought to the rest of the Bakers. Zoe plays an important role in helping Ethan escape the eerie ranch in Resident Evil 7, and her eventual fate in the franchise is just as intriguing.
Why Leon Kennedy Being Resident Evil 9's Protagonist Would Be a Letdown
Rumors of Leon S. Kennedy returning as Resident Evil 9's protagonist are intriguing, but if true, could also prove disappointing.
Zoe Baker's Story Beyond the Events of Resident Evil 7 is an Important Piece of Lore
What Happened to Zoe Baker in Resident Evil 7?
In the main story of Resident Evil 7, Zoe mostly acts on the sidelines as she gives instructions to Ethan through phone calls. She's similar to Resident Evil 4's Ada Wong in how she extends a helping hand to the protagonist in order to find his wife, Mia Winters. Likewise, the "Daughters" tape of the Banned Footage Vol. 2 DLC, which served as a prequel, also shows Zoe's motivations to go against her family after Eveline infected them. This fueled her need to find the cure, and Ethan is the only one who can accomplish this goal for her.
Unfortunately, Ethan only manages to bring back one cure and decides to use it on Mia. An angry Zoe tells the couple to leave her at the ranch's pier, which would later lead to Resident Evil 7's End of Zoe DLC.
Resident Evil 7 gives players the option to cure either Mia or Zoe, which will give them two different endings.
How the Resident Evil 7 End of Zoe DLC Ties Up Zoe Baker's Story
The End of Zoe DLC takes place shortly after Ethan and Mia leave Zoe at the pier near the Baker Ranch. Eveline finds Zoe and calcifies her as punishment for helping the couple escape, but, fortunately, the latter is alive despite her state. Weeks after Ethan and Mia were rescued, Chris Redfield and Blue Umbrella forces launch a rescue mission for Zoe, which leads them to the cabin of End of Zoe protagonist Joe Baker, who is Zoe's paternal uncle.
End of Zoe is essentially a mission to find a cure to save Zoe from her calcified state. Players follow Joe as he explores the bayou and Baker estate to find the serum, while also fending off the Swamp Man, aka Jack's terrifying new form. After defeating the monster, Chris Redfield and Blue Umbrella operators arrive to save Zoe and Joe.
While recovering in quarantine, Zoe receives a call from Ethan, whom she thanked for keeping his promise to send help. In a text slideshow included in Resident Evil 8's deluxe edition, it's revealed that Zoe started working as a reporter in New Orleans after leaving quarantine. She also continued her investigation of Eveline's origins and her link to a crime syndicate called The Connections. She also finds out about the Winters' relocation to Eastern Europe, which is the setting of Resident Evil Village, and the birth of Rosemary Winters.
Zoe hasn't shown up again, but her reports featured in Resident Evil Village's extra content seem to tease that she might play a role in the next Resident Evil game. Of course, this is still up in the air, especially since Ethan is already dead and Rosemary might not return for Resident Evil 9. But it would be interesting to see how Zoe will interact with existing Resident Evil characters in a future game, be it as a playable character or as a support.
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 86 /100 Critics Rec: 90%
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Psychological Horror, First-Person
