No Regrets: Letting Villagers go in New Horizons vs. New Leaf

[Baroque]

I'm just wondering if this is a shared sentiment or if it's just me. So with the recent announcement that the Sanrio characters were gonna make a comeback, I was pretty overjoyed: great, Étoile is my second favourite villager after Best Boy Angus, this is fantastic! But while I was at it, I decided to revamp pretty much all of my island to have themed areas relating to 5 of the 6 Sanrio villagers since, well, I'm lucky enough to already have their cards before scalpers lurch at them so I'm gonna make good use of them. As part of that radical change in half of my island's roster, I've also been revamping parts of my island to give lil' themed areas for each of the Sanrio villagers that are more-or-less loosely based on the ones we saw in the official announcement video for them, like I mentioned, and that involves dismantling the themed areas I had crafted up for my current roster of villagers, obviously.

And as I'm working on all that stuff, I realized that... I'm not especially sad about letting these villagers go. I like them a lot, I know I do. For example, Rosie is one of my favourite, she was the second one I obtained for my island after Angus. And yet... I couldn't say that I'm feeling particularly sad about her departure. Could it be because I own her Amiibo card and subconsciously know I could get her back whenever if I felt like it? Or is it because of something a bit more insidious... Maybe I'm just not as attached to the New Horizons villagers because their dialogues and interactions doesn't make them as likeable as it did in New Leaf? It's been a long time since I've played it, to be honest but, whenever I had to let a villager go in New Leaf, it almost always felt like a knife to the gut, even for villagers I didn't really like. But here? I actually welcome how refreshing it'll be, I guess...

Does anyone feel that way as well? Just feels like something's missing, you know?

 

[corlee1289]

For me, it’s easier to let villagers go because there is always a chance I can meet the ones I let go when I am island hopping for another villager once I have space.

in NL, if the villager was gone, they were gone unless you had the amiibo to scan them in and that’s it. The chance of you meeting them again is rare in the campground, especially because you had to cycle through some villagers before you could ever hope to meet them again or invite them from someone else. They also wrote goodbye letters and included a photo.

But in NH, you can island hop with your NMT and meet them again! It was with great difficulty I let June, Pierce, Cielia, and even Pekoe leave... But I managed to meet them again on the islands! What made me laugh was the day June moved out and I went island hopping, I saw June again. So, if I ever want to get them back, I can always island hop again and meet them or even invite them back from someone else’s island since there isn’t a character cycle.

 

[Moritz]

There are some villagers im not too sad about when they move away.
However for the most part, I'm attached to all my villagers. I've even completely backed out of the idea of letting villagers move away before.

I miss Kody and Peggy a lot and they have been gone like 6 months

 

[Baroque]

For me, it’s easier to let villagers go because there is always a chance I can meet the ones I let go when I am island hopping for another villager once I have space.

in NL, if the villager was gone, they were gone unless you had the amiibo to scan them in and that’s it. The chance of you meeting them again is rare in the campground, especially because you had to cycle through some villagers before you could ever hope to meet them again or invite them from someone else. They also wrote goodbye letters and included a photo.

But in NH, you can island hop with your NMT and meet them again! It was with great difficulty I let June, Pierce, Cielia, and even Pekoe leave... But I managed to meet them again on the islands! What made me laugh was the day June moved out and I went island hopping, I saw June again. So, if I ever want to get them back, I can always island hop again and meet them or even invite them back from someone else’s island since there isn’t a character cycle.

That's interesting, I hadn't considered island hopping to retrieve those villagers since... I already had the Amiibo Cards of pretty much every villagers I liked enough to permanently have in my town. I've never had the chance to do much of it but I imagine villager-hunting through the Mystery Islands must be kinda annoying

In that same vein, actually, when you let villagers go in NL, they could come back to visit on main street and it was like... Hey! Old friend! Wow, so good to see you again! It was a little heart-warming, y'know? None of that here, obviously :/

 

[tiffanistarr]

I prefer letting them go in NL because they would show up in the town and they would remember you! In NH when you let them go they don't even remember you after that. I do however have the amiibos of every villager I could want so that's a plus, they are much easier to get back in NH then they were in NL I believe, although I don't remember wanting to get a villager back in NL so I could be wrong about that.

 

[Moritz]

I prefer letting them go in NL because they would show up in the town and they would remember you! In NH when you let them go they don't even remember you after that. I do however have the amiibos of every villager I could want so that's a plus, they are much easier to get back in NH then they were in NL I believe, although I don't remember wanting to get a villager back in NL so I could be wrong about that.

I know its not the same at all but if they move out and end up in a friend's town, they will remember you there. And if they then move out of your friends island back to yours, they will keep remembering you.

Its something

 

[tiffanistarr]

I know its not the same at all but if they move out and end up in a friend's town, they will remember you there. And if they then move out of your friends island back to yours, they will keep remembering you.

Its something

that would work but i don't like playing with other people so once they're gone they're gone gone.

 

[Vonny]

Yeah I remember living in fear in NL after hearing stories about villagers randomly leaving without pinging first. Even though I had all their Amiibo cards I didn’t want their memory of me erased. It happened to me in City Folk and I was traumatized. (RIP Bob) Now in NH I’m unattached. They feel more like cosmetics than “friends”.

 

[Sheando]

I feel the same way, sadly. I’m Wild World or New Leaf I agonized over the thought of letting anyone move out and I would miss former villagers for weeks or months afterward. I still feel attached to my villagers in NH and I have difficulty allowing anyone to leave, but I’ve found that once I actually let them go, I tend to be over it almost immediately.

 

[John Wick]

I wouldn't let any of my villagers go for the Sanrio villagers.

I think they're ugly, tbh.

Etoile is ok though.

Not worth trashing any of my current villagers for.

 

[Baroque]

I wouldn't let any of my villagers go for the Sanrio villagers.

I think they're ugly, tbh.

Etoile is ok though.

Not worth trashing any of my current villagers for.

Oh dang, really? Well I disagree but that’s a fair stance, for sure

What if they brought back all the other Amiibo villagers as well, though? Say Wolf Link or the Squid girls, whatever their names were?

Post automatically merged: Mar 5, 2021

I feel the same way, sadly. I’m Wild World or New Leaf I agonized over the thought of letting anyone move out and I would miss former villagers for weeks or months afterward. I still feel attached to my villagers in NH and I have difficulty allowing anyone to leave, but I’ve found that once I actually let them go, I tend to be over it almost immediately.

Yeah, exactly. I think a reason for that might be because, once avillager leaves in NH, it creates new potential for re-decorating on your island while, in prior games, it just left and empty barren plot of land that reminded you of whewre your old friend was :/

 

[Bilaz]

I’m not letting anyone leave in New Horizons but
I wouldn’t feel as sad either, easy to get them back, no villager cycle

 

[Felix Felicis]

I am always sad letting a villager I like, or no, go. Finally, even if the dialogues are quite the same and repetitive, after days talking to them, seing them walking etc, I'm a bit sad. I've made plans for new villagers to come to suit my themed island but for some, I know I'll never let them go. I just can't. Flo is my first villager, I'll be very sad, Cyrano, I really disliked him at first but changed my mind...
The problem is maybe they look so happy when they live! They hope for a better life even if they still love you and wish you the best. They are smiling all the time and I don't know, it makes me so sad!

The difference is, I think, here you have the choice. I think in New Leaf, tell me if I'm wrong, when somebody wanted to leave, if you miss the day they ask you that question, lack of luck, next day they are gone. So sometimes you have little suprise when a villager leaves, but I'm not sure of nothing anymore. I don't remember if they asked you before and if you had the choice to accept or no (I suppose yes) or if one day, going into their room means to see them about to go.

As well, there is no letter, no big message from Isabelle in the morning... I think it's less emotional, but sometimes your villagers talk about that during the day. I was a little bit disappointed.

But I'm maybe too sensible about that; I love all these little guys.

 

[Livia]

I always get sad when a villager leaves even if I was ready for them to go, but it’s easier in NH because they only leave when I want them to leave. I got so upset in WW and CF when my favorites would randomly leave and I couldn’t stop them. Now I only let them leave after I get their photo, and there are several of my villagers that are permanent. I’m so happy that I don’t have to worry about them leaving anymore.

 

[JKDOS]

Oh dang, really? Well I disagree but that’s a fair stance, for sure

What if they brought back all the other Amiibo villagers as well, though? Say Wolf Link or the Squid girls, whatever their names were?

I guess I feel the same way about the Sanrio villagers as @John Wick . If they brought back the other Amiibos, Wolf Link is the only one I'd be looking forward to, and would easily have a spot for him as there aren't any Smugs I'm too fond of. I actually don't have a permanent smug yet for my main island, so I do have a spot for the day if it ever comes.

 

[Shellzilla_515]

I'd still feel sad if I were to let my villagers go in both games, especially in New Leaf. My New Leaf town was created back in 2015 which was six years ago! My original starters were Bones, Agent S, Gruff, Tipper, and Celia. To this day, they all still live in my town despite asking me to leave countless times. If they moved away, I'd be really sad.

 

[Moritz]

I guess I feel the same way about the Sanrio villagers as @John Wick . If they brought back the other Amiibos, Wolf Link is the only one I'd be looking forward to, and would easily have a spot for him as there aren't any Smugs I'm too fond of. I actually don't have a permanent smug yet for my main island, so I do have a spot for the day if it ever comes.

I love so many smug villagers I could make an entire island full of them.
I dont like Toby though. He's ugly.

 

[Valeris]

I love so many smug villagers I could make an entire island full of them.
I dont like Toby though. He's ugly.

Yeah, between Raymond and Marshal I'm tapped out. Too much smug to go around and it's prevented me from inviting more. Two is my limit of a same personality type, and even that is pushing it.

 

[xhyloh]

i absolutely feel this way. julian is my all time favorite villager, i even went so far as to buy his amiibo card to have him in NH, but as i'm changing my island's theme, he doesn't fit so well anymore. i don't even feel that bad for wanting to switch him out for another smug villager, they're just so interchangeable in this game

 

[Sharksheep]

I feel this way with most villagers because I have so few favorites. I actually let go of Pashmina because I got her amiibo recently and manage to find Reneigh who I had before but regret letting go the first time. But I didn't regret letting Sherb, Dom, Judy, Audie, or Raymond leave because I wasn't as attached to them.

Most of the other villagers I want on my island I have amiibos for them so I can always invite them back at any time but for the villagers I don't have amiibos for I want to experience to see if I have new favorites.