In Resident Evil 7, Ethan Winters can use the last dose of serum to save either his wife, Mia, or Zoe Baker. This long-debated player choice once again highlights issues of insufficient character information and imbalance between the two endings.
At the time of the choice, Ethan only knows that Mia has been missing for three years, had warned him not to look for her, and attacked him multiple times during her infection outbreaks. Players do not yet know that Mia works for The Connections, nor that she disguised herself as a mother to escort Evelyn on the tanker; this information is only revealed after the choice sequence ends and players take control of Mia.
The game rarely shows Ethan and Mia getting along peacefully, relying mainly on their marital relationship to convey Ethan's feelings. In contrast, Zoe spends the entire night providing route guidance over the phone and promises to escape with Ethan. Players are expected to both embody Ethan and accept his predetermined emotions, making the so-called "correct choice" feel unnatural.
If Zoe is saved, she is quickly turned into a crystallized statue by Evelyn on the ship, with an infected Mia becoming an additional boss, leaving Ethan to escape alone. Saving Mia becomes the canonical outcome, continued in Resident Evil Village. The later-released DLC "End of Zoe" features Joe Baker rescuing Zoe, further fleshing out her fate.