When I think how to describe Pale Carnations, or more precisely, how I am supposed to convince someone else to play it, there is this particular simple premise and scene.
Here is the difference between a normal AVN and Pale Carnations.
Premise, the MC is a bit drunk, and is about to dance with one of the girls.
The other AVN would go something like "and under the effect of the drinks, I made the mistake of giving dancing a go".
Pale Carnations:
"In an act of necromancy, I threw caution to the wind.
Bone and ligament came to life, bending unnaturally under the control of a rum-fueled spell of black magic.
I was by no means a dancer, but... it was funny.
(Was dancing hard?)
Simple repetitive movements and a rare case of body over mind.
Just don't think about what you're doing.
Just don't conceive of even the faintest possibility of looking stupid.
The moment you feel a pang of doubt, that's when you become stupid.
At least that was my utterly soaked line of thinking.
Maybe I did look stupid, but who cares?"
WHO.
THE FUCK.
DOES THAT?!?!?
The madmen making this, that's who.
The choices you make in this aren't simply who to date or fuck.
The girls can not be simplified in description to "milf" or "cute" or "bitchy" or any simplistic terms like that.
Your MC isn't just a horndog, he's a mediator, a bully, a pervert, a knight in shining cunting armor, or a sadist, because to build a connection with these girls (who, believe me, in characterization and writing are a step above the LIs in just about any other AVN), he himself needs to be able to match them intellectually, spiritually and/or sexually.
That's an Adult, Visual, Novel. Emphasis on each word individually, and as a whole.
That was me gushing, let's get as objective as possible,
Pros:
+ The writing. In case I didn't point it out, I can think of only one other AVN that is as well written/mature as this. This extends all the way from basic descriptions of scenes, to characterization, dialogue, story flow and pacing. Almost nothing else in the AVN space comes even close.
+ The visuals. The artist makes HS1 look ungodly good.
+ The music. In 99% of AVNs, I turn the goddamn thing off... not here. Some tracks are here to get the job done, some give me chills to the bones, and some I've goddamn added to my personal playlists. And I am very picky what reaches my ears.
Things that would be to personal taste:
- as good as the story is, there are a few scenes that are unavoidable, and are not feel good scenes either; the characters involved survive and soldier on, but if you haven't encountered sadism before, these scenes might give you pause. I myself was put off before because of this, dropped the game until I played a bunch of other AVNs, and when I returned, the scenes weren't as heavy on me and I could actually continue and finish the game and enjoy the abundance of other good stuff in it.
- I fully realize that the HS visuals might be off putting for some folks, but look at it this way: imagine you're reading a comic book and this is just the art style it utilizes.
- This is *not* a feel good wholesome story. It does contain many wholesome and feel good moments, but the overarching plot isn't. Your choices will have consequences, for you AND for other characters, and there will be moments where you can't make everyone happy.
Cons:
- none.
I mean it, if you don't like the visuals being HS1, that's okay, but also - that's subjective. If you don't like the music, that's subjective. If you don't like the story because it is not something that it isn't even trying to be, that's subjective.
For what it is, with the tools available to them, the devs made something truly special, executed to damn near perfection.