As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.
Resident Evil: Village isn't all full of action and scary monsters, as there are a few moments where it'll proverbially melt the player's heart.
The Main Game
- Doubling as a Tear Jerker, the reveal of the full story that bookends the game. Ethan and the dad both die to save their daughters.
- Ethan and Rose's last few minutes of peace at the start of the game. Love just radiates off of that scene.
- The first few minutes really establish the bond between Ethan and Rose. Just wandering around the house, you can see pictures of Ethan's family and can even have cute interactions, like Ethan playing with Rose's monkey toy to make her happy. It's really adorable.
- Lady Dimitrescu sincerely loves her daughters.
- The first portrait Ethan finds when he enters the castle is a giant one depicting her three girls (although looking nothing like how they actually look, possibly to dupe potential meals), and it's one of the few portraits labeled in the castle.
- The journal entries which depict how they came to life, particularly the last one. Lady Dimitrescu compares them to newborns and states that she immediately feels a connection with them, like a mother who has just given birth. Despite the journal being otherwise horrifying, there is something sincerely sweet about this little moment. Even Evil Has Loved Ones indeed.I have already decided their names: Bela, Daniela, and Cassandra.
- While fighting Cassandra, she may sometimes call her mother for help
. Alcina will then show up instantly to protect her daughter.
- The sheer relief on Mia's face when she holds Rose again at the end of the game.
- Dimitrescu worries in her journal that she may not be as special to Mother Miranda as she thinks she is. Though her notes show that the four Lords were nothing but experiments to her, she did praise Alcina for being close to the perfect candidate to serve as a vessel for the resurrection of Miranda's dead daughter. So, in a way, Alcina did stand out from the others in her superior's eyes.
- Elena sticking up for Ethan after he saves her, as well as Luiza trusting him right away and welcoming him into her home.
- While Dimitrescu and Heisenberg start arguing on who should get Ethan, Angie climbs onto Donna's lap like a toddler. Donna even holds out her arms like a doting mother picking up her child. It's surprisingly cute for a demented doll and her creepy puppeteer.
- A minor example of Pet the Dog: When Ethan stumbles into Heisenberg's meatgrinder death trap, the latter exclaims, "Gotta keep Donna and Moreau entertained!" Heisenberg may not be fond of the other Lords (especially Alcina), but it seems he at least doesn't mind putting on a show for these two.
- The Duke is nothing but helpful to Ethan and sincerely supportive of his quest to rescue his daughter. He even saves him from dying alone after Miranda rips out his heart and gives him the push he needs to finish off the villainess once and for all. Odd as he may look like, he's the only one offering effective safety and help to Ethan. Ethan, not completely unjustifiably, treats the Duke with suspicion throughout the game, but during their last encounter, he genuinely thanks him for his help.Duke: Please, be well.
Ethan: Thanks. - When Ethan gets the photo of Mia and Rose back after killing Beneviento, he finds something written on the back that wasn't there before. "Take care of our little Rose."
- In yet another villainous example, it is weirdly heartwarming in Spencer's notes to Miranda that, even though he had to part ways with her because of his more global goals, he still very sincerely thanks her for everything she taught him and hopes she accomplishes her goals, too.
- Chris' team has his back, supports him no matter what, tells him what they think AND THEY DON'T DIE!
- The panicked, unnamed villager who immediately gives Ethan a handgun once he realizes our protagonist is an uninvolved and unarmed outsider, only lamenting that it's all he can spare. All in all, a nice welcome. Too bad he dies immediately after.
- An older Rose wearing Ethan's coat when she visits his gravestone in the epilogue, where she leaves a bouquet for him and tells him how things have been. She'd only known Ethan when she was an infant, but from the fondness evident in Rose's voice now, he clearly meant the world to her.Rose: Hey, Dad. Happy birthday. Sorry I couldn't come sooner. I have tests coming up—you know how it is. ...Duty calls. I love you.
- Ethan and Mia's bond is given more exploration and proof when we see how Mia absolutely refuses all of Chris' deflective BS and demands to know where her husband is.
- Despite learning the truth from Mia about Ethan technically being a sentient bioweapon, Chris doesn't think of Ethan any differently, and still tries to help save him and his daughter all the same.
- Chris and his team have spent three years scoping out the village and taking a subtle approach. What prompts Chris to finally order an all-out assault? Miranda murdering Ethan in cold blood.
"Shadows of Rose" DLC
- Rose, after getting chased by killer dolls and mannequins in dark hallways and rooms of copy!House Beneviento, winds up in a copy of her parents' home, where it's bright and gentle. As Rose examines the various objects scattered about, she learns in quiet awe how excited Ethan was at her turning six months old, as well other normal baby things (like how she used to love fruit puree). She eventually finds a letter addressed from him to her, telling her how much he loves her and looking forward to doing other simple family activities with her as she grows older. Around this point, even if Rose herself doesn't yet realize it, the player has likely put two and two together when it comes to who "Michael" really is (assuming they hadn't already)...
- Eveline appears as a boss fight and starts trying to get inside Rose's head with the "you're a freak, you have no friends" routine. IMMEDIATELY after she says this, Michael stops his text hints to tell her, "You have me." Extra heart-melting considering Michael is Ethan, or rather the remnants of Ethan's consciousness.
