Pale Carnations - #1
By The Numbers
First Released: April 17th, 2020
Current Version: Chapter 4 Update 5 (1/10/2025)
Developed by: Mutt & Jeff
Scores
- Art: 29/30
- Writing: 29/30
- Misc: 37.5/40
TM's Score: 95.5/100
Synopsis
Pale Carnations is the story of a young medical student (Edwin Turner, but the MC can be renamed) whose reconnection with a childhood friend tumbles him into a world of corruption and depravity via an exclusive gentleman's club.
Managing a...unique...exhibition is going to knock our Main Character out of his current life track, and force him to examine some underlying assumptions about himself, and some of the people he thought he knew best.
How will he navigate these new relationships? Who can he trust? What sort of person will he become?
The decision is yours.
The Review
Pale Carnations is a nearly seamless synthesis of porn and storytelling, catapulting it to the peak of the genre. The art is not only gorgeous, but also detailed. The way characters inhabit their locations make the world feel vibrant and lived in, and facial expressions are nuanced, and can convey meaning without text. When there is text, however, it is excellent. Florid but in a way that stylistically captivates instead of distracting. Dialogue feels realistic to the ear, and the plot and characterization are both gripping. Porn scenes are hot, frequent, and supported by short but well crafted animations. The sex dialogue is purple prose, which fits my taste, but your milage may vary. Pale Carnations features a slightly darker tone than some AVNs, and readers should be aware some of the fetishes and themes may challenge them.
This AVN has my very strongest recommendation. Play it now.
Q1 2025 Update
The Most Recent Update of Pale Carnations was another superlative effort featuring hours of content and moving the plot towards the week 3 exhibition.
Pros:
- Branching choices matter and pay off
- More of the great art and storytelling players expect
- Multiple hot sex scenes
- A narratively gripping set piece with most of the main characters
Cons:
- Branching means developers are doing exponentially more work to deliver updates of comparable size to previous ones
- Four week structure is in danger of strangling character development, especially outside the club, which would be well served by the passage of more in game time