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

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.

Pale Carnations in one fell swoop went to the top of my favorite VNs. This game has everything I respect in a good VN: phenomenal scenes, interesting story that makes me want to keep playing even when it's not 'that' time, choices that feel real and actually affect relationships. Every character feels extremely thought out and every decision seems to have a realistic and clear response by said characters.

The story doesn't coddle you. It presents you with choices that actually make you sit and think about the consequences of your actions and will make you feel those consequences if you're careless. This game has me checking for updates at an unhealthy rate. I am begging everyone to try this game.

The fetishes can range from vanilla to extreme but never unhinged, but there is (almost) always a way to avoid the extreme stuff if you're not feeling it, and even the vanilla scenes are amazing because the story gets you invested in the scenes beforehand instead of just handing you some mandatory 'sex scene 1 of 3 in this update' crap.

I know this sounds like an over the top review but I PROMISE you it is warranted. I have played 100s of VNs (not an exaggeration) and this outperformed every other cherished VN of mine. If you like choices that affect the characters so much that it warrants multiple playthroughs, this VN is for you. If you like characters stories that are so in-depth they make you feel empathy, this VN is for you. If you like a story that isn't afraid to delve into darker tones but still gives you the lighter stuff when needed, this VN is for you. 5/5 easily.

Pale Carnations is a masterpiece, with a unique dark-toned story and well-developed characters. It's the first AVN on my list that I've rated with the highest possible score, and it deserves to be in the hall of fame
Pros:

• Engaging, unique,realistic story that feels like a psychological thriller
• Your decisions impact the story
• Likeable MC
• All characters feel alive, with realistic stories and a personalities
• All of the LIs are well-written, don’t feel like dolls, and are distinct from one another with their unique backgrounds(Felicia is my favorite one)
• Cool perks system
• Music is always on point and enhances the experience
• High-quality custom animations and unique environments
• Camera angles are always perfect

Cons:

• For someone who doesn't like curvy/thick bodies, this might be a problem
• Fetishes are not for everyone; if you’re not into humiliation, BDSM, etc., this game might not be for you
• Unavoidable sex scenes with other men, but they are part of the story

Overall: It’s definitely the best AVN ever created with Honey Select and probably my favorite one. You MUST play it. 10/10. Must-play.

Everything important has already been written here, but for me personally this game is by far the best in this genre, a tier of its own.

Story is interesting, well-written and the characters have depth. Call me crazy, but I say that if someone made a movie based on this game, it would be a blast. But it would probably be a problem to find a cast hot enough to capture all the essential details, if u know what I mean.

I'd recommend this game even to people who don't like the main theme and the kinks associated with it, because you can largely control MCs personality, his relationship with the other characters and the related H-scenes. However, you probably won't influence what perversions Kathleen comes up with..

This AVN lets you do things and make decisions that most other AVNs would shy away from. You have freedom to treat the others around you in so many different ways, and the story is impacted by the choices you make. This might not sound too unique, but this AVN takes this farther than almost any other one I've experienced. There are some weird plot holes and things that are simply unrealistic/impossible, but the main story and substories are interesting enough with plenty of intrigue. Also characters are all very unique, interesting, well written, and organic. Overall a very well rounded experience.

Indeed, folks, this is a masterpiece.

Great story, with an excellent and tasteful portrayal of BDSM, kink stuff, etc. A main character who's not a goober, a high quality UI and so on.

My one surprising problem is, man, I'm not really into the body types of the characters. Obviously Hana is great, but she's not necessarily the star of the show. I suspect this is just me though.
In some sense, that just further praises how much I enjoy the story/setting. The fact that I'm enjoying this purely on the whole sadistic/BDSM themes probably says a lot.

I was dissapointed.

This game is just generic and boring.

The story uses do much "slice of life" and not the club as much as it should, most just feels like filler to be honest.

The characters are boring.

The models are pretty meh, especially the MC he is so generic.

The dialogue is pretty dry.

The stat system could be better.

The sex scenes are okay at best, just kinda boring.

The worst parts are definitly the music and sound effects, music is very generic and often doesn´t fit, and some sound effects like the record player screech are just annoying.


I wouldn´t really recommend it, unless you are new to porn games, because this is just very generic and not that fun.

Honestly baffled at how this game has a higher weighted rating than the runner up. The story plotted around unique hot babes working in debauchery and finding solace in an ordinary college student has average execution at best; a shocker considering there is a ton of potential in storywriting about a brothel connected with high end society.

Very early on, the writing falls short of establishing the size and magnitude of this debauched tale. Our protagonist is given a background of wealthy connections to get his foot through the door of what would be a corrupt and hedonistic realm. But then the story spends so much time shrouding the purposes of the Carnation Club in ambiguity, distracting you with mediocre introductions of the side characters, and forcing a buildup for the reveal of a potential Hollywood Babylon that ultimately ends being anticlimatic. What the reader anticipated to be a dark, twisted exploration of depraved sexual escapades turns out to be a lighthearted BDSM dungeon. The hook was so terribly weak for a 4.9 rated game that after MC got introduced to the entire cast I just skipped unseen texts to get the story over with and reach the girl scenes.

What the game lacks in storybuilding and writing is made up for in the unique LI cast. Their designs aren't generalized enough for harem playthroughs but unique enough to be memorable characters with a lot of depth. However, this game's MC is too much of a snoozefest and a terrible fit for the LI cast. When you get to know each girl, the MC's speech options are so lacking in depth and ordinary that it seems like the LIs were paid to give the MC attention. Every single encounter is the MC going, "Oh, I'm just an average Joe that goes to school" and continuously asking the LIs questions as if they were doing QnA interviews. Then magically the LIs open up about their lives and give a sob story for this average Joe to comfort them. It's like they're speaking to a mirror. The LI cast dropping their panties at the slightest hint of affection from MC completely destroys any ounce of depth to their character, and makes every scene seem like poorly choreographed pornography.

Render wise there's not much to say about Honey Select characters, if the creator chooses to have their characters all look the same then that's up to them. However, this only increases the need for exceptional world-building and plot design, which the game sorely lacks. This might seem like a harsh review but considering all the 5 star ratings, the playthrough was a letdown in comparison to the high expectations I had for this game.

Every girl is a big titted, slim waisted bimbo with a anime-ish model. MC works in a "high-class" brothel, so a place for old slimy fucks with loads of cash. Things get actually uncomfortable, ugly, and disgusting. You don't even get to skip or opt out of the more unsavory bits. MC's mom did porn and he still didn't get over it, you get to watch stills from it and even watch him watch some while you squirm. There's a feeding scene that might actually get you to gag. There's plenty of Ugly Bastards and while they don't get shoved into your face, they do get down to some business. Consent is stretched to the point where a direct "yes" should probably be understood as "no".

So, in a game like this, what's the best scene? Well, you take a girl out (not an escort) for some ice cream, then to see a movie and then for some karaoke. You get three progressively more intense makeout scenes, culminating with both of you busting through the apartment door with the girl wrapped around you. Then things get much better.
Seriously, the whole sequence is absolutely amazing, this thing goes through storytelling arcs, plural. This is a sex Scene with capital S, and it's not just balls to the wall all the time. There's plenty of gear shifts and the whole thing is topped of with some character development and some actual intimacy.
Depending on what your kink is, there just might be an even more intense finale around the corner, and the whole thing didn't just come out of nowhere - there's also a great scene before all of this.

This no rape fantasy, competition scenes are meant to disturb. Quite possibly because they are also somewhat hot... but absolutely disgusting! And hot. The game takes a proper look at the darker sides of pleasure and desire, and what lines people might cross to get some, and how will they justify crossing them. It takes some mental effort to see clearly evil people as "dark-ish gray" and to not see the sex workers as just victims, but at least effort is put into this. The game is actually surprisingly humane and the MC is not a piece of shit, though you can steer him to the dark side. There are also a couple of slightly subtle "traps" that might knock you off of your high horse into some delicious hypocrisy. while possibly off-putting in execution, is actually a great plot point in the end, and provides (limited) character development for like 5 characters.

I don't want to talk too much about writing, but it's excellent. No bullshit filler, you've got proper characters and proper scenes. Maybe 20 lines of dialogue are spoken but you get characterization for 3 people, 2 relationships, some plot and then some Plot. Then there are visual details, things to pick up on that no character talks about. There are tropes and archetypes, but this is basically a demonstration of how to use them effectively. Just a great job all around, and it also can be funny - tons of VNs try the self-aware angle of "this is shit porn dialogue". This game does this while delivering a joke built around the word "quim".

I'd strongly suggest giving it a try even if the things in the initial paragraph are a hard pass for you.

Note: I'm basing this review on an incomplete playthrough of Ch4 Up4 (I left by the time the MC had to interview one of the girls).

This has all the looks of an excellent game if the kinks are right your alley and helping running a brothel is something you'd like. For me, being forced to handle those girls like cattle is something I couldn't stand. Still, I do appreciate the hot scenes and nice renderings. What you can do with Felicia in your first sex scene isn't something you see often. And the way Kat is "handled" by Ms. muscle girl was also hot, no matter how unlikely.

What puts me off completely is the shitty japanese style with the run-of-the-mill enlarged legs, odd hips, mandatory big tits, generic face and random hair color where you only find out this or that girl is 30 something by someone telling you, because the way some of them are drawn (*cough*Rosalind*cough*) they look the standard inflated 17 yo teen. But that's probably my hatred towards all these japanese-style games speaking, and not the developers churning generic Oliver & Benji crap forever.
Yeah, probably.

Ch. 4
This VN is really special because it's almost paradoxical?
Majority of the sexual content in this game is best described as depraved. The acts that these characters are put through are diabolical, and yet that doesn't take away from anything in the story or writing? A game this kinky wouldn't normally be this well written which makes it such a joy to play. This is a polished and well thought out game. The little nuances in this story that separate the depraved from the wholesome is what makes the entire thing work for me. It also helps that the main character is also well written enough to allow you to form your own opinions on the situations rather than spoon feeding what you should be thinking or doing. An all around fantastic experience.

Great game guy’s

Hmm how to explain.

A guy MC who is making his way as a pre-med student and making extra money tutoring other students is sick and tied of trying to teach people who have no interest in learning.

He is ready to finds money elsewhere to help pay his way through school.

He then has an old friend send him a letter in the mail inviting him to a new job, one that will blow his mind in more ways then one.

Suddenly he is in a world he could never have dreamed of.

Beautiful women, friendly, and some of them, not so much...

A couple of guys that are nice people at heart, and others that are assholes.

And a new look at life in a way he could never of dreamed of before.

And of course the MC can be a nice guy, or he can be bad to the bone.

I highly recommend this one despite the dark and debauched tone the of the overview. The writing of the VN is fairly serious here and worth a read. I did not think I was going to enjoy this as much, despite my own interests being rather vanilla on this site. Rather it turns out, to my surprise, it's likely the best way to enjoy the story anyway as you confront corruption.

The main theme of the Carnation Club is not just about sex, it is a story of trauma, and inner moral conflict about the temptation of easy money versus how far you'll go to exploit other people. Or whether you decide to stay to fight the system the best you can, and stop the filth where possible, because you know your replacement would mean the continuation of the abuse. There are many hours of content released so far. One of the things I like best about it is that it's hard to predict what's going to happen next, it's a fun and terrifyingly filthy ride.

The story has its interestingly deep moments, wholesome moments, and disgusting(skippable) moments, but there is also a hot ass MILF who is down bad. 10/10

TLDR: Might actually be the greatest game on the site.

I was loathe at first to give it a go because just by skimming the description, 'cruel erotic games' and sadism aren't really my thing... but I'm SO happy I did. The art + story are great but the character writing is amazing, legitimately mindblowingly good. I haven't played this game in months but I still remember the girls from the game (and the MC) clear as day, that's how memorable they are!

BTW, if you're curious, there isn't actually that much of a focus on sadism etc., like sure at the club the game does show some of those scenes but it makes up like maybe 5% of the gameplay experience and you can just skip those scenes if you like (which I did at times).

The vast majority of the game is actually wholesome as hell, I'm not even kidding - some of the most likeable and well-written characters I've encountered in erotic games.

(Oh, and obviously the hot scenes are hot as all hell. The girls are insanely fucking hot. Like goddamn. The elite writing makes the sex/erotic scenes even hotter )

Extremely replayable, I'm omw to replaying it as we speak.

PLEASE give it a go

Finally got around to replay this (chapter 4 update 4) and update my review - visual novel with a male MC.
The best bdsm-game on this site. Gorgeous renders, really well written story and characters. The sex-scenes are hot and draw you in.
Plot is about three women who compete in a sex-club for a prize - each woman has something she's willing to fight for. You play as their "manager" who motivates them and keeps them competing. Each of the three competitors is fascinating and is more complicated than they seem at the beginning. There are also two other girls you can seduce - so five main heroines. There are also some sidegirls, but they only have scattered scenes and you can't focus on them.
For the NTR-complainers - the three competitors can have sex with other people, but with the right choices you can keep your favourite for yourself.
There is a lot of reading - don't expect a stroke-story - I personally love it.

Has a lot of really varied bdsm-content - among it stuff I have not seen in any other game. The club tries to break the competitors will through humiliation, pain and shame - personalised for each competitor - has spanking, whipping, bondage, device bondage, humiliation, exhibitionism,....
The nice part is that it is all consensual - while they might dislike it, all girls willingly compete to reach their goals.
It also has a great story - the main story beats stay the same, but within that structure your choices actually matter and change outcomes and your relationship with the characters.

Each and every update keeps me on the edge of my seat. This is deservedly consistently the top game on this site. The creators take their time with the updates, but always deliver quality, update regularly and seem to have the story planned out till the end.

The game is far from being complete, but with the current (Ch 4 Up 4) amount of content, it is the BEST HS1 (Honey Select 1) art style based AVN and in general the best AVN to date.

I play AVNs for the story, sex scenes are just bonus content. And this game has both amazing story and animated sex scenes. Be warned though, the game is not for the light hearted.

This game have everything. Let me explain why: first of all you can change the MC, from being "normal" to a total sadist. You have an incredible roster of girls, from a sociopathic hag, to a cute blonde babe. Then, almost every girl route can branch, for example you can choose to a GF or FWB relationship.
There are some long periods where you can't find any of the thing called sex, but I guess you wouldn't play VNs if that is a problem

Version: Ch. 4 Up. 4

At the very least this is one of the best HS AVNs out there, but in my opinion Pale Carnations is the best AVN period.

I'll admit that this game may not be for everyone, especially for the most vanilla people who can't tolerate bdsm, humiliation and prostitution. Yes, MC's mom was a whore because she had no money and had to feed his son. That's a story of motherly love. And yes, you work in an upper class "brothel".

This game tells the story of a young man who discovers the depths and the many layers of human psychology and may or may not indulge his most depraved (mostly sadistic) desires: that's up to you. You can be an asshole or be a good and empathetic person or something in-between. That's a story of debauchery. Anyway, who said a sadistic person is an asshole? Choices matters and have consequences and there's a good amount of branching which greatly improves the replayability.

In any case, there is a total of 5 LIs and 2 of them are not selling their bodies, if that's a problem for you. There are a lot of wholesome, emotional and romantic moments, especially in the latest updates, even with the three Carnations. I've found a lot more romance in Pale Carnations than in other famous AVNs.

Music is good, writing is excellent, animations are great, renders are the best in the business as far as Honey Select goes. There are even some SFX sounds during lewd scenes: I hope that Mutt and Jeff will keep using them and add new ones.

I'm really looking forward to the next updates and the remaining exhibitions. I expect the worst, in a good way.

P.S. Kilian best bro in any AVN.

I have to say this game surpassed my expectations, here are some of my impressions:

1. Story: It was interesting and every plot was engaging to the point where I couldn't stop playing for hours. I think its main asset is the hotness/lewdness... I mean if this is not the hottest AVN out there it should at least in the top 3.

2. Characters: Excellent characters. The MC can become a twisted pervert MF (hahah..I liked that). Girls are awsome, at the beginning I thought some of them were a bit dull but as the story progresses you get to know their real motives and their backgrounds.

3. Music: Great tunes so far.

4. Renders: I'm not gonna lie they're not great but good enough.

5. Animations: Not bad.

So far this avn is definitely a 5-star no doubt, however, I prefer to rate games from 1-10, so I'd give it 9/10 because IMO there are 2 things that could be better: 1st the writer, at times (and despite being very good most of the time), writes too much (and by "much" I mean there are some unnecessary texts here and there) and 2nd I wished the renders and animations were better (sorry if i'm being ignorant and maybe this the best that this engine has to offer).

So, I think this is a MUST PLAY for everyone interested in AVNs especially for those who like nasty MCs xD

I'm almost 3/4 into the game and I'm loving it so far. I don't want to spoil anything but can say the writing is excellent. The characters are captivating and the story interesting. The models are 10/10 and the debauchery up there, although I wouldn't mind if they could turn it up a notch.