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

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.

V.: Ch4 Update 3

There is quite a bit of content here.
The story is both the main strength as well as weakness of this game.
On one hand, there are a few different routes and options feel like they matter.
But on the other hand the story is always very grim and dark. At times it feels like your choices didn't make a difference and things are constantly going to shit either way.

As a side note, since prostitution and hard BDSM is the main theme of the game, you get to see plenty of other male characters get their dick wet. And while not technically NTR, you also get to see MCs mom get gangbanged a lot. As for the five main girls, they get fucked by a woman and blackmailed etc, but the furthest it goes with other male NPCs is a bukkake scene (and optional sharing)


Basically it's a great game but was just a tad too grim/extreme at times for my taste.

A game that truly deserves the title of Masterpiece!

Excellent story and elegant visual style.

Animations of sex scenes are realized at the highest level.

A lot of unique and charming female characters for every taste and color.

The presence of variability and various fetishes.

Strongly recommend not to miss this game and give it a try!

Very natural writing, non-cringy dialogue, no recycled tropes, believable plot, no stupid meme references, all(most) girls are likeable, MC is for once not some perfect, filthy rich Gary Stu but also not a retarded loser incel. The game gives enough freedom as to make choices that actually has some impact. A bit heavy on the BDSM side but not full-on fetish-specific, also not wholesome vanilla but incredibly a lot of nuance.

Undoubtably one of the best Honey Select renpy games if not the best, Pale Carnations is one those adult VNs you should absolutely pay attention to even if you don't like the subject matter explored in the game.

This is the first time I've ever felt compelled to leave a review on this site. While the subject matter tackled in this story is not at all conventional and in-line with what I normally would like, I have a great deal of respect for the story, its characters, and of course, its authors. Each character feels incredibly compelling and has a great deal of depth. Some of the choices are extremely challenging, purely on a moral level. I think this is just a testament to the level of writing found in this story, which is so far unmatched in my opinion. After playing several other VNs (some of the other top ones on this site), I had sort of forgotten that writing can genuinely be this good. I cannot even begin to adequately articulate just how fucking amazing I have found the experience of playing this game, This is one of the best VNs i played... 10/10 hands down

Review For Pale Carnations(Ch.4 Update 2)
Before beginning this review I just want to say that this game is without a doubt the peak for what VN games should strife to be,100% deserves its top 3 rating on this site. I always avoided this game since I heard a lot of great things about it, and I wanted to make sure it had enough content before diving in, and after playing the current update available to the public, It was all they said it would be and more!
1.The Main Character
Starting of with the main character Edwin, what immediately grabbed my interest about him is that he isn't the typical good guy protagonist most other main characters are on this site, yes you can still play as a good guy(which is pretty preferable since most of the main girls in the game rather nice guy Edwin) but embracing his sadistic side is more enjoyable, so I played the asshole Edwin with the help of a walkthrough mod, because trust me if you go full blown bastard you will lose a lot of points with the girls, which is pretty weird since the whole premise of the game takes place in a brothel and only a few of them enjoys him being rude, but it did not take away my enjoyment for the game and I got most of the scenes so that's a win in my book. All in all he is a pretty interesting character and I cant wait to see how far he descends down the road of his true desires.
2.The Main Story
The Plot is pretty straight-forward, you play as a guy who is studying to go med-school to become a doctor and with the help of your best friend, lands a job at an esteemed brothel for the rich, at first the main character is pretty hesitant but he quickly adopts to his surroundings and meets a lot of interesting characters along the way. There are some interesting conspiracies brewing in the background while the main character goes about his daily life and i can see that he is most likely going to be in the centre of it.
3.The Main Girls
Next up are the main girls. at first I was pretty hesitant about how good they would be, I mostly play harem games on here but I have no issues with brothel games, I didn't know if I would really like any of them since I figured they would be banging other guys on the daily, but thank god that most of the main females aren't actual whores so it makes the experience better. Mina, Hana and Felicia are without a doubt my favourites, I appreciate that the dev lets you romance Hana if you go her path, and Mina is my favourite out of the 3 with Hana in a close second. I would have liked to see a poly relationship with Hana, Mina and our main character, it has been discussed a bit between both the girls as jokes but it would be pretty great. At the moment though Hana wants a strictly traditional relationship so I don't really see that threesome coming any time soon, which is a bummer since you essentially have to choose between the 2 of them, still I have no doubts the dev will somehow make that work somewhere down the line.
My Final Thoughts
Playing through this has been an amazing experience, also the fact I started the game around the time the next update already announced to release soon, makes me pretty excited to continue where I left off, If anyone is still on the fence about the game for whatever reason, play it you wont be disappointed, yes it isn't a harem game, but the relationships you form with the characters make the experience worth it.

I cannot even begin to adequately articulate just how fucking amazing I have found the experience of playing this game. Seriously. I've read at least several dozen essay-length reviews about aspects of this story in this comment section - all better than I could ever manage - and I've found myself agreeing with most of them.

Just...

Only so many games make you start crying while your dick is in your hand, okay?

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

This is seriously a masterpiece, no doubt about it. But man, oh man, they really dropped the ball when it comes to the choices. Like, what were they thinking? It's like they have no clue how to make choices that actually make sense in a game. And don't even get me started on having to go back and fix those choices. But hey, despite my rant, I still think this game is the bomb. I'll definitely be back for more. Best of luck to the devs!

if you really want to fully enjoy this game, my advice is to play it with the guide/cheat mod. Trust me, it takes the experience to a whole new level. You get to explore all the juicy content you want without any frustration or time waste. It's like unlocking the true potential of the game.

TLDR:
+Everything is good (story, character development, fetishes ...etc)
+Animations are the best from whats available
+Actual god tier UI and QoL. Should be the standard for every renpy project.

- choices are poorly made and only there to confuse the player. If you care for a path then this game will definitely disappoint you.

Highly Recommended only with cheat/guide mods


Updated Review:
[Ch. 4 Update 3]

Another amazing update comes with juicy content and a surprise Victoria scene! It is the best and I swear that girl got the best bod in the game. Please show us more!

But here we are again talking about choices and paths, if you are not in "friendly" terms with one character then basically ~70% of the update is unavailable for you! I can't understand how devs are ok with wasting their time not even showing their hard work to the players. To each their own I guess. 4/5 again!
tldr: you must play this game

This takes one of the most archetypal hentai kinkfest setups and filters it through the sensibility of a modern romance. The result is a surprisingly sweet, psychologically sound drama that renders its characters with more depth and realism than most games ever attempt.

And yet, this care for the characters is matched at every step by sprawling sex scenes that give a ton of variety and manage to run the gamut from lovely and romantic to genuinely depraved, depending on player preference. They have the detailed progression of studio H-games, but instead of simply upping the ante with increasingly lurid images, they manage to both tell a story and reveal character even when the text breaks down into incoherent moans and the sounds of bodily fluids.

And all of this tremendous detail, in both the narrative and the sex, is delivered through distinctive art and the most fluid animations I’ve ever seen in a visual novel.

There is so much great art and great writing in this game. Thoroughly engrossing, immersive, and smutty. And with a huge amount of content for just 4 chapters. One of the GOATs for sure.