Of my current villagers, only Marina is definitely a permanent resident, but I get emotionally invested so quickly and really struggle to let villagers move out even if I've had them a while. I want movement and to explore islands and find new villagers to be friends with but it makes me so sad to see any of these sweeties go ;-; Anyone else have this issue?
I have several retail copies (the cartridges) of “New Leaf.”
With “New Horizons,” it is tied in with the game console.
This one island-per-console is really just a way of Nintendo wanting to generate more money out of customers. (That you have to buy an additional game console, along with another copy of the game itself, if you want more islands and more islanders at a given time.) We Nintendo Switch game-players can have more than one of other game (like “Super Mario Odyssey,” from 2017, had three). I definitely do not like this.
On my island, Óhana, I have three that I want to keep year-round: Molly, Marshal, and Stitches. (That is the order of their seniority.) I now have three who are among the eight new “New Horizons” islanders: Dom, Audie, and Cyd. (That is the order of
their seniority.) I have four who I am ready to part with: Teddy, Octavian, Plucky, and Cookie. I feel bad about Teddy. He is my starting Jock. I have had him six months in real time. But, unfortunately, his generic house is atrocious—and with the “New Horizons” team of game designers not making starters have upgradable houses within, say, 30 or 60 (I will even go to 90) days makes it pointless to hang onto any of them. (That is—if the interiors are important to one. I just think it is disrespectful to the individual islanders, who are one’s starters, to be saddled with a terrible interior without being rewarded with an upgrade. And by “upgrade,” I mean at least the house they have under normal circumstances.) I feel loyalty to Teddy. He deserves better than a lousy generic house. I don’t want him to continue to be stuck. So, I am reluctantly going to part with him. With Cookie, I have in mind replacing her with another dog, Goldie. For Plucky, this Uchi is underrated and more ideal in warm weather. (Then again, so is Audie.) But since Fall has arrived, I am thinking of a different Uchi. I want to bring in either Deirdre or get the new “New Horizons” islander Reneigh. I will not feel good parting with Octavian. He is absolutely great. I am wondering if I may end up keeping him. I will go island-hunting while continuing to work the campsite method. If any of the remaining new “New Horizons” islanders arrive—be they Judy or Sherb or Megan or Raymond—then I am prepared to say good-bye. (Right now, I lack a Snooty. So, the most likely to show up at the campsite is Judy.) Ultimately, I am striking a balance: Keep those near and dear to my heart—Stitches, Molly, and Marshal (in the order I most want)—and venture out to welcome a mix of season-appropriate islanders with those who are new to the game.
I understand your dilemma. But, it is important to keep in mind that this game is pretty costly. (The money.) And you end up making a choice that is not easy. I suggest being really honest with yourself. You mentioned Marina. So, there you go with being able to determine a particular islander you want to make sure to keep. (For me, it is the trio of Stitches, Molly, and Marshal.) When you determine who you have to hang onto—like making that islander permanent (year-round)—you can open yourself up to others. And there is another positive: Unlike “New Leaf,” in which you had to cycle out ex-residents with other replacements before being able to welcome them back—well, in “New Horizons,” you don’t have to go through a cycle. There are 391 islanders in “New Horizons.” Many of them are really likable.