This game made me gaze at my ceiling for 20 minutes after finishing it.

Red Carnation is a short visual novel created for the Ryona Yuri Jam by Michikani. Throughout the entire game, we experience the story from Freesia’s perspective — every thought she has and some of the memories she recalls while enduring Mellory's torment.

Slight spoilers ahead

The story takes place inside Mellory’s mansion, more precisely in a secluded room (perhaps the basement?) that perfectly resembles Aster’s bedroom, without any visible flaws. The flawless recreation of Aster’s bedroom already gives us insight into Mellory’s character.

The characters of the story:

Freesia: From her memories, we understand that she was a girl who always aimed for perfection and couldn’t stand feeling inferior to her twin brother. She even used him as motivation to pursue perfection. Throughout the story, she gradually develops a less toxic mindset by recalling memories with Mellory, where she learns to appreciate Mellory’s hard work even when the results were not good.

Aster: Freesia’s twin and rival in love. We only see fragments of his personality through the beginning of the story and through Mellory’s recollections. Freesia frequently badmouths Aster, but her words may not be entirely reliable, as they are shaped by her resentment. The reader is therefore free to interpret Aster through either Freesia’s or Mellory’s perspective.

Mellory: She is deeply — and I mean deeply — loyal to Aster. Aster’s death drove Mellory to the brink of madness. The only thing that saved her from falling completely into darkness was Freesia — the woman who killed her lover. Mellory knows that Aster is dead, yet she gaslights herself into believing that Freesia is actually Aster. This delusion runs so deep that Freesia slowly begins to lose her sense of self, as Mellory tries to erase every trait that makes her who she is.

Although we do not see clear character development from Mellory, we do witness her true nature throughout the game: possessive, obsessive, and on the verge of madness. A true yandere — though not for the protagonist. There are not enough recollections of the past to determine whether Mellory felt something beyond friendship for Aster.

Freesia begins to show signs of regret depending on the route, but it is clear that in every path she hopes Mellory will acknowledge her as Freesia — not as Aster.

The dialogues and writing:

Wonderful. The dialogues feel realistic and alive; I could truly feel the emotions the characters were experiencing. The writing was excellent.

The art:

Incredibly vivid. Mellory’s expressions were top-notch, and the CG designs were beautifully crafted.

The music:

I personally believe that music is what holds a story together, and I keep asking myself how the person who composed the OSTs can be so little known. The soundtrack was incredible — I will probably reopen the game from time to time just to listen to those melodies again.

What message I took from this visual novel:

We cannot remain fixated on the past, or we risk losing sight of what truly matters in front of us. Death comes for all of us, and we must accept that the world will never stop moving forward.

The game is short, but its complexity makes it feel as weighty as a 100-hour experience. Please keep creating games like this!