The new Resident Evil Village DLC Shadows of Rose attempts to give the Winters family's story a worthy conclusion, but the send-off is ruined by Ethan Winters' noticeable lack of a face. The new story campaign starring Ethan's daughter Rose, included in the recently released Winters' Expansion, brings a definitive end to the family's terrifying saga by showing Rose move on from her traumatic past. Unfortunately, the series' dedication to hiding Ethan's face makes Shadows of Rose fall a bit flat.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Resident Evil Village and the Shadows of Rose DLC.]The Shadows of Rose DLC for Resident Evil Village takes place 16 years after the events of the main game, with a now teenaged Rose Winters entering the mysterious Realm of Consciousness in an attempt to remove her superhuman powers. The adventure takes players through a warped version of the European village from the main campaign, with Rose confronting twisted memories like an evil version of The Duke and a bloodthirsty mannequin resembling her mother Mia. Rose is aided throughout the expansion by a "guardian angel" referred to as Michael, but this ethereal being is soon revealed to be the conscious remains of her deceased father Ethan Winters. Rose eventually battles the shadowy remnants of the Resident Evil Village villain Mother Miranda, but Ethan manages to take physical form and help his daughter escape the nightmare.
Shadows of Rose Could Have Finally Revealed Ethan's Face
While having Ethan appear in Shadows of Rose helps bookend the Winters family story, the fact that Ethan must remain faceless throughout the Resident Evil Village expansion really dampens the impact of his presence. 2017's Resident Evil 7 is played from a first-person perspective, meaning that players never get to see the face of protagonist Ethan Winters. This helps immerse players in the survival horror experience, helping create what is arguably the scariest game in the entire franchise. The same applies to Resident Evil Village, where Ethan is once again faceless despite the title's more action-oriented gameplay. Even in the Winters' Expansion's new Resident Evil Village third-person mode players are never able to get a good look at Ethan's face.
Rather than finally revealing Ethan's face for the emotional climax of Shadows of Rose, the DLC goes to needlessly comical lengths to continue hiding his appearance. In cutscenes Ethan is only seen from behind or from the mouth down, preventing any meaningful connection between the player and the heroic father figure. During gameplay Rose is almost always following Ethan from behind, and when he does face her something always obscures his features. This is a bit more forgivable during fast-paced action scenes, but once Miranda is defeated and Rose gives her father a heartfelt goodbye his face is still kept hidden from the audience. The emotional climax of the Shadows of Rose DLC and the entire Winters story would have been a perfect time to finally reveal Ethan's face, but instead the charade is still drawn out by hiding his features behind his arm or showing him only from the top down.
Keeping Ethan Winters' face hidden was an excellent way to increase immersion in Resident Evil 7 and Village, but Capcom's commitment to the gag ruins the finale of Shadows of Rose. The expansion goes to hilarious lengths to block Ethan's eyes and nose, which spoils the otherwise emotional reunion between Rose and her dead father. With Resident Evil Village and Shadows of Rose bringing an end to the Winters saga, it seems that fans will never get a good look at the Mold-slaying survivor.