Pale Carnations - #2
By The Numbers
First Released: April 17th, 2020
Current Version: Chapter 4 Update 7 (08/13/2026)
Developed by: Mutt & Jeff
Scores
- Art: 29/30
- Writing: 29/30
- Misc: 35/40
TM's Score: 93/100
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, ensuring it a spot on the Mount Rushmore of the genre. The art is not only gorgeous, but also tactile. The way characters inhabit the environments make the world feel vibrant and lived in, and facial expressions are nuanced, conveying meaning without text. When there is text, 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 mileage may vary. Pale Carnations features a slightly darker tone than some AVNs, and vanilla readers should be aware some of the fetishes and themes may challenge them.
This AVN has my very strongest recommendation. Play it now.
Q3 2026 Update
The most recent update of Pale Carnations centers around the third weekly exhibition. While it continues to demonstrate the genius of the game's creators, it asks questions about the future of the game that are both provacative...and concerning. **SPOILERS BELOW**
Pros:
- Exhibition events are well thought out, bringing erotic tension and character moments.
- More of the great art and storytelling players expect.
- Created a possible route to avoiding future pacing issues if the four week structure is discarded.
- A cliffhanger that demonstrates a willingness to make bold narrative choices.
Cons:
- It is unclear how much MC choices drive the character outside of sexual situations. A dichotomy which originally was a major strength of the game.
- Even PC is not immune to the curse of AVN pathing. The update has lots of replay value, but, if you are only interested in one route, it's a relatively short update.
- IF the four week structure is maintained (which is a sizable if) then there is simply not enough time left in game to solve for pacing. The resolution with Vero's gym, bringing Mina more into the plot, the Grace situation, and several others would have to be mostly epilogue... Or given very short shrift.