VN - Ren'Py - Pale Carnations [Ch.4 Up.6 Public] [Mutt & Jeff]

This is it.
Seriously, This is it. This is what One should call an Experience.
This is the example of one of the most Outstanding Adult Games I've ever played that not only uses the Adult Themes to titilate, but incorporates them in plot, dives deep into debauchery and perversion, yet maintains a heart and humor which makes you connect to every character in different way because the worldbuilding is just so excellent.
Its Rare to see This Excellent Level of Choices leading to different Paths. Rare to see a MC that is being corrupted into the story instead of just being a shallow bigdik idiot. Fantastic Characters with so many layers that I want to play through this story over and over to see where every path takes it.
Yes, the character models and graphics won't look the most amazing at the very start, but it quickly grows on you, and then you're too immersed to care. And that Graphics do improve as we proceed through the story.

This is one of my Absolute Favorite games existing in Adult Genre, Big Kudos to the Devs. I can't wait for where things move forward. Masterful.

This game is on another level and easily one of the best I've ever played. The story is quite compelling and has me wondering where it will all go in the end. It feels like there's actually meaning between different decisions you make and the whole game is definitely setup for multiple playthroughs with different ways you want to setup the MC or girls you want to focus on. How is it that they've managed to want to make you devote yourself fully to each of the main girls all for their own reasons?

The character design is fantastic. Each main character has an interesting background and as far as aesthetics goes, the art is beautiful. Sometimes with older games you can see a steady progression in terms of animation as they perfect their craft, but this game has never left me wanting from the start as far as animation quality goes.

The level of polish is also something to be admired. As far as I can remember, I haven't ran across any typos or major bugs. There's at least the one point in the game where you have to clarify a decision that was previously made but that doesn't take anything away from the enjoyment of the game.

This game truly is one of the gems on this site.

The core story is pretty original in my opinion. The main character essentially gets an offer he can't refuse (well...in the good way) and finds himself working as a helper in a sex club. Said sex club has a yearly, month long competition running in which three women (the eponymous Carnations) have to fulfill sexual tasks - often enough in front of an audience - to win a price at the end.

And while that sounds kinda cheap and cheesy at first, the writing does and excellent job of making a really interesting and compelling story out of this. All three women have their own reasons to compete and in addition to the club activities the private life of the MC quickly becomes entangled into the story as well.

In its core the story seems to be about "two-facedness". Pretty much every character in this game has a "public" and a "hidden" side to him/her, including the MC. And the club itself also stands for the "two-facedness" of society as a whole with seemingly upstanding pillars of the community engaging in a perverted sex competition in a brothel.

In terms of gameplay it is a relatively standard linear VN. It has decisions every once in a while that will shape the story and the relationships the MC has. There are a few free roam events, but those are pretty short.

The audio of the game does a good job of enhancing the immersion. The soundtrack might not be the absolute best, but it is clearly one of the better ones and overall very good. The sound effects are a bit rare but get the job done well enough.

Now one of the "elephants in the room" are generally the visuals since that is what pretty much everybody here will see first on the provided screenshots and the banner. I can understand that the slight "Manga look" it has going might not be for every one. In fact I originally thought it wouldn't be for me either.
But the visuals ended up being another absolute strength of this game. For one this is easily the best looking HS 1 game I have ever played.

But even overall it is an absolutely great looking game. The animations and the way movements of the characters flow even from static to static...easily conveying movement when no actual animations take place...it is absolutely superb. Add to that some of the best facial expressions in a VN I have ever seen, great lighting and so on and so forth and you have one of the best looking VNs you can find here.

Bottom line: A pretty cheesy story premise that is exceptionally well executed with very good audio and superb visuals: 5/5.

Incredible writing, great attention to detail and realistic characters. You play as a student studying to get into med school who gets roped into working at a high end brothel thanks to his friend who is the nephew of one of the club owners.

This game has one of the best examples of a morality system I have seen in an adult game. The main character struggles to maintain his decency with all the depravity around him caused by the environment in the brothel. The player can make choices that nudge the MC towards being a decent person or make him fall into the depths of his depravity.

The highlight of this VN for me has to be the characters. All of them are well written and have their own motivations for doing what they do. The game focuses on an event held by the brothel where 3 whores are pitted against each other and are forced to do depraved things for the entertainment of the clients. There are some side events with some of the other characters but the game mainly focuses on the competition. There is also an overarching plot in the background involving illegal drugs but this has not been explored so far.

There are a few things that were a little off for me - there is a lot happening in just a few weeks and it feels a little weird to see the MC's personality shift the way it does if you pick some of the more evil choices. While I understand personality shifts can happen quickly sometimes depending on the circumstances, the game has not convinced me that it is realistic for this to happen to the MC. It is also hard to tell what the overarching plot is despite being so far into the events of the game (as of ch4 update 5) so at least right now the pacing feels a little weird.

The last thing that I want to mention is not exactly a criticism of the game but rather a callout - be aware that some scenes can be tricky to unlock and depend on choices you may have made a while ago. As such you will likely need multiple playthroughs to experience all the content of the game. To some players this is a good thing as choices matter. To others this is a bad thing as not everyone wants to play through the same game multiple times.

Overall, this is an excellent game that I would recommend even to more vanilla players due to its high quality. I settled on a 4/5 as of Ch4 Update 5 although it is closer to a 4.5 than a 4. I can easily see it changing to a 5/5 with future updates and I will update this review if this happens.

Generic Visual Novel with click-to-see-next-slide gameplay, unique, well-written story and no dialogue options but impactful choices in almost every scene. You can also shape MC backstory and traits (opening other possibilities) which encourages replayability.
Pale Carnations is one of the most well-written visual novels with immersive story based off a simple but genius premise that's exploring a pretty unique subject (extreme BDSM).
The luxury brothel setting is a stroke of pure genius and also very refreshing one: instead of using the same setup of "young man finds himself living with his step-mother's best friend's landlady's neighbour" cliche story over and over again in every single game with grinding step by step toward some adult content, you get the kinkiest possible sex from the very beginning.
It's a high quality VN that takes you for a wild ride. Only problem is graphics style (weird, off-putting Honey Select models) but it grows on you.

Easily top 3 games on this site. Good art, original scenes, likeable characters... More than enough H-scenes to please everyone (and I do mean everyone) and I'm not even close to the end yet

The story and theme are really good as well. There's this scene where a batshit crazy character talks to the player character about accepting the darker side of your personality and how most people never really find themselves and stuff, and it felt more like she was talking to me than to my character. Never thought a porn game would make me think about my life mid-fap but here we are

Probably one of my favorite AVN, if not my favorite. In my opinion the best writing in the genre, also one of the best MC and I love that the game doesn't compromise on its themes. I'm not usually into this kind of graphics but the devs really made it fit the game perfectly.

The story is super intriguing and a lot of characters' fates depend on what's going to happen. Even now that there's a significant amount of content, it's super hard to discern where the story is going, who you can trust or not. Beats most AVN whose stories either don't make sense or are just plainly predictable.

One of the best porn games ive ever played - it somehow turns sex into art, while having amazing writing. And the scenes are extremely explicit and long, which scratched an itch no other game has before.

I also love the theme of the game; the philosophy of the human ego and our darkest desires.

Its truly one on a kind.

Also major bonus points for Hana

I've played more porn games than im willing to admit and a lot of them have wasted my time.

When it comes to porn games i have a central philosophy "deliver good porn first, then we can talk about the rest" meaning no intricated gameplay or compelling story is gonna save mediocre porn.

But if you have solid porn then things like the story will elevate the final product.

Pale Carnations as it stands today is far superior than to the vast majority of AVN that are available not only in this site but for sale out there. It does this by a combination incredible arounsing porn and a very engaging story with interesting characters.

Lets start for the first hurdle for the general audience, the setting, Like many that have passed on this gem, the premise gave me pause but still decided to give it a chance for *looks at the banner* reasons....

Before dedicating it my time i wanted to be sure that the porn would be good and that there would be a balance between the more BDSM/humilliation acts and more regular stuff.

And as someone who normally doesnt want anything with BDSM, exhibitionism and other similar kinks, there is balance and it doesnt leave you wanting if you like more "regular" stuff. Aditionally to this the acts play very well with the narrative so even when i dont find them arousing they still contribute to the experience because the narrative wouldnt have the same impact withouth this scenes.

Speaking of the story, Edwin is a very interesting vehicle to experience this game. He allows us to perfectly exlplore the themes around self-descovery, desperation and morality.


" i like to think of myself as a good and decent persont, but...
I have simply never been given the opportunity to prove my conceited self-image of right or wrong"

Is a line that i love because the idea is so prevalent and yet we ignore it so often. We often say "i would do this " or "i would do that" in certain situations when in reality is more of a desire to belive in our own untested morality .

So that what the story does, testes Edwin morality as he discovers a part of himself that didnt know and might not be confortable with. That journey and how it clashes with the motivations and desires of the other characters is interesting to see.

I also like that the story is willing to consider a middle ground and not just between a binary be an asshole or be saint, and seems to acknowledge that in this situation being too nice could make Edwin inneffective.
But not everything is depression and honyness, there is levity and humor that more than once got a chuckle out of me.

I like that consequences are more linked to your actions and affections (to the characters) than to a morality scale that decides wether you're a good boy or a naughty boy.

The idea of perks and traits is good but (currently) underutilized.

All in all, it blew away my expectation and i look foward at what the future holds.

edit: almost forgott to mention, the music is very nice and with plenty of variation to fit the scenes or characters. What could be considered as "Minas theme" never fails to give me a smile.

This review is a single playthrough until the end of the update.

The game started as a 2/5 but slowly bumped up to a 4/5 as of now. I'm not a multiple playthrough person, so I don't know all the routes and secret choices. Initially I wasn't impressed because the male models are generic and the female models were good. It wasn't a good first impression but the characters saved the game in my opinion. I don't think the game will every become a 5/5 since the game is only carried by its characters as of now.

The game is polished, I haven't ran into any bugs or errors. However I do think the best parts of the game is when the characters are just hanging out. When they get to the actual competition, I just want it to be over with since I don't really care for the competition itself. When a game has a large cast of characters male and female, the game needs to have good character relationships to carry it. The best is usually character interactions and this game excels at it. Every character feels unique and consistent.

The MC feels consistent because it feels like he can go either good or evil and still be believable. Its hard to believe they are the same character and they don't feel like the same character. Meanwhile good and evil MC is believable in this because we actually see the darkness swaying him if we pick the good route.

Amazing VN, writing elevates what would be a formulaic hentai VN setup into a surprisingly thrilling experience. Most important characters are multi-layered, you could actually imagine a person being in that situation and making the same choices and mistakes as them, give in to the same temptations.
But it's not only writing that deserves praise; models, animations, camera work, they are all great. Sometimes I would catch myself thinking that it would make a good TV show, if done correctly.
It's an actual mature and sometimes dark work, which is somewhat rare here, on this website, not only because of all the sex and debauchery, but because of it's themes, it's pacing and characters; their dilemmas and troubles. Top tier for sure, deserves it's spot in ratings.

Not a revolutionary story, nor a new spin on how to use the engine. Simply put, it might not be a new thing, but it does everything very well. Every update is a nice surprise which you look forward to exploring new content. Which tends to be well thought out and well drawn. Personally speaking it is one of my fav games on the site. Just wish they'd get cracking and pump out a lot more content more frequently, assuming that wld not lead to a great dip in quality. Keep up the good work and thanks for the effort

When I first tried this game a few years ago, I played through a few hours, lost interest, then proceeded to exit out and remove it from my storage altogether. After playing through the entirety of the latest update, I can safely say I made a huge mistake.

Pale Carnations is possibly the most genius adult game I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

The story is gripping, yet simple to follow. The dialogue is tight, purposeful, and realistic. The characters are multi-dimensional, and - most importantly - feel like real people instead of predictable archetypes. Player decisions actually matter and lead to many branching paths and consequences in the narrative. The chemistry between the MC and the love interests is actually palpable and builds over time. There are hours upon hours of content, and yet the pacing is (mostly) strong. The humor isn’t the greatest but it’s more a subtle part of this game’s whole; it certainly beats the alternative of overbearing and pathetic attempts at comedy. Not to mention the stunning renders, models, and solid animations that are quite impressive for Honey Select.

The most interesting thing about this game, in my opinion, is its clear emphasis on irony. No really, the theme of irony is threaded into damn near every story beat so fluently and it really opens your eyes to how people will allow themselves to contradict their own ideals just for the sake of following inhibition in a particular moment in time. Of course, the average person is not involved in such an outlandish gentleman’s club, but the poignant point still stands strong. It’s not every day where you see an adult VN actually try to say something.

This game’s quality should be the standard that every other adult game developer out there follows. Seriously, please play it, you won’t regret your time.

A well-deserved top two project. Very close to perfect game. Huge plot, exciting story, interesting characters, gorgerous art, cool MC, choices matter, nice but not overwhelming humor - Pale Carnations is as good as they come. Rarely I can't find anything bad to say about a game, but here we are

Well to be honest I first thought i was not going to like this one but i'm really glad i tried this one. Most things have allready been said so i'll keep it nice and short.

Some things might go a little far (to my taste but fit well in the story) but man it's really nicely done.
Good music added to the game.
Great models.
Fun to play and I did not find any bugs (which really is refreshing).

Can't wait to see the continuation of the story.
Damn nice work you devs!

I love this game, the story, the cast, the kinks, the style, etc.

Probably one of the best HS games in this site.

I just wish the updates were bigger or a tad faster. But you can't rush genius.

Definitely a must play.

Hell of a game.
Perfect mix with the modern western games and the japanese VN I used to play. The renders are fantastics, maybe except for Veronica for her specific physic who can be unattractive to some people, all the LI characters are gorgeous.
Very intriguing story who create a very strange tension, with the MC being involved with some wicked stuff in a closed and dark environment.

Have a great time to play it.

I love Honey Select like fk. This game is perfect on so many levels for me. I get bored with Daz because there aren't many people that can create fresh chicks and most of the games that are made with it have the same characters. HS seems to have way more options to make girls. Thank you!

At first, I was put off playing this game because of the artistic style, but I saw the reviews and I thought, I could power through. Once the story got going and I saw some of the girls in all of their glory, I immediately called myself an idiot for not playing this game sooner. The MC looks like a dork and I hate his hairstyle, but the game is legitimately so good it powers through that as well.

The story is sublime, the choices are absolutely insane to think about, how many different ways the story could seem to go, and I genuinely think there is no weak link between any of the girls, I was a little disappointed Lucy did not become a main character, but every single one of the carnations really make me feel something for them, which is great in a game about power dynamics. Mina and Hana as the "girlfriend" material characters are also amazing, and honestly, I do not know who I will pick at the end, all 5 girls are my favorite when they are the last one on the screen.

The "bromance" leaves a lot to be desired, because whenever I start coming around to Ian, I see how he treats women in this game, and while you can see where he learned it from, there seems to be a path to turn him into a good dude, I'd rather keep my distance, and I think that's okay. I like how there is ambiguity in the decisions.

All in all, this is one of the best games on this site, I literally reached the end of the latest update (CH. 4 Update 3 at the time of writing this) and audibly went 'No!" Now I'm going to have to wait for updates like everyone else has probably been doing, way to go devs, you have a new fan!

Also towards the end of the update I am at, the MC gets a makeover with a new hairstyle and he loses the glasses for a night, and I literally went 'Finally". The MC is a great, well-written character with childhood trauma that isn't overbearing but you can clearly tell it affects him, the only thing that was holding him back was the dweeb haircut and the glasses, I think it was great!

This is a VN with incredible writing and I regret not playing it earlier. The main highlight of this one is it's writing. I love when creators put realistic characters in absurd scenarios - if done well, it can lead to some very good stories. That is why I love magical realism stories and that is one of the reasons pale carnations is so good.

Every single character, including the protagonist, is fully fleshed out and feels like a real person. This contrasts well with the high end brothel/ sex game setting and leads to some great story telling.

Also, as a person who LOVES muscular women, I fell in love with Veronica. I love how the dev didn't just leave it as an aesthetic thing, and instead fleshed it out by making her love for the gym both her backstory and her motivation. Its rare seeing muscular women in media, but seeing one whose muscles actually matter to the story was truly refreshing.

I also love how the dev represented LGBT+/queer people. As a bi/pansexual person, I feel sad with the amount of latent homophobia in a lot of VNs. Veronica's bisexuality is never questioned, and her marriage with a woman is treated casually. The MC doesn't do the awful "no homo" thing when asked if he ever felt attracted to men. The aromantic girl doesn't get treated as a freaky/bad thing.

I used to see the 4.9 stars and think that there's no way the game could be that incredible, but after playing it, I can say it deserves that rating.