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Carnival

Carnival Game Cover
100%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, atmosphere
Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, replayability
100% User Score Based on 61 reviews

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Carnival Game Cover

About Carnival

Carnival is a single player action game with horror, mystery and historical themes. It was developed by Beyond Booleans and was released on August 25, 2025. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

After agreeing to take on what seems like a mundane story about the unique city and its planned road bridge, journalist James Maynard finds himself uncovering a disturbing underbelly to the local customs, and a hideous core to the notion of Venetian pride. Not even the might of Mussolini can truly kill the Carnival. Winner of Best Lines of Dialogue - Adventure Games Of The Year 2025. C…

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Reviews

100%Audience ScoreBased on 61 reviews
story27 positive mentions
  • Exceptional atmospheric storytelling with a richly detailed and historically grounded setting in 1930s Venice, combining folk and Lovecraftian horror themes.
  • Well-written narrative featuring believable, multi-layered characters and multiple meaningful endings, offering replayability.
  • Outstanding audio, including a haunting and adaptive musical score that perfectly complements the eerie atmosphere.
  • Puzzle design is very simple and easy, which might disappoint players looking for challenging gameplay.
  • The low-resolution pixel art style is sometimes too crude and small, causing occasional difficulty in finding items or fully appreciating visuals.
  • A few minor bugs, typos, and annoying sound effects (such as loud footsteps) that slightly detract from immersion.

  • story

    53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    51% positive mentions, 43% neutral mentions, 6% negative mentions

    The game’s story is widely praised for its atmospheric, slow-burning horror narrative set in a richly detailed 1930s Venice, blending historical research with Lovecraftian themes. Players appreciate the well-written characters, compelling dialogue-driven progression, and meaningful choices leading to multiple endings, though puzzles are minimal and relatively easy. Overall, the storytelling is considered the game's standout strength, delivering a haunting and immersive experience.

    • “The dev really understands that the heart of Lovecraft is his pacing; the story starts off quite normal, with beautiful details as you explore Venice and do your job as a journalist (and that isn't just thrown away, the dev keeps the journalist role centre to the action) and then the slow buildup of dread as you move inexorably towards something horrific... it is truly a joy to see a game developer who actually gets Lovecraft and, not only that, created something worthy of its own place in the mythos and the canon.”
    • “A masterclass in atmospheric storytelling, with an ending that delivers on the promise of everything that comes before it.”
    • “It’s very much narrative-focused and light on gameplay, but the amount of research put into it is astounding, and along with the detailed close-up character portraits and the brilliantly atmospheric soundtrack, it is easy to ignore its few hiccups and let yourself be swept along by an increasingly dark story.”
    • “The slightly unnerving feeling it lets grow stronger bit by bit is nicely done, even though, as is often the case with this type of story, the eventual horror isn't all that scary once it's revealed.”
    • “I can't say the plot about traditionalists worshipping an ancient chthonic horror is fresh or original, but otherwise it's a great, atmospheric little game.”
    • “Because of this structure, the game leans heavily on dialogue and storytelling rather than traditional puzzle-solving.”

  • atmosphere

    32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    78% positive mentions, 13% neutral mentions, 9% negative mentions

    Carnival is widely praised for its dense, immersive atmosphere, combining haunting pixel art, a fitting and adaptable soundtrack, and strong storytelling that evokes a creeping sense of dread and suspense. The game's detailed historical setting and well-crafted characters deepen the mood, making it a standout atmospheric horror adventure despite some minor writing inconsistencies and technical blemishes. Overall, the atmosphere is considered the game's defining strength, captivating players throughout.

    • “A masterclass in atmospheric storytelling, with an ending that delivers on the promise of everything that comes before it.”
    • “Believable and multi-layered characters, a realistic portrayal of 1930s Venice, a great atmosphere (thanks to the fitting soundtrack) and a lovely old-school pixel art style.”
    • “Dripping with atmosphere and suspense and brilliantly crafted by Beyond Booleans (a solo dev!).”
    • “I think the writing is generally hit or miss, and while the effectiveness of the atmosphere depends on your engagement with the historical context of the game, the script has an early internet creepypasta amateurishness that was hard to detach from.”
    • “Yeah, most of the spooky elements are delivered through an oppressive atmosphere, but the game also relies on earned jumpscares.”
    • “The atmosphere is at times mysterious and unsettling, heightened by the haunting soundtrack and sound effects.”

  • music

    23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    70% positive mentions, 30% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game's music is widely praised for its haunting, atmospheric quality that perfectly complements the Lovecraftian horror theme, enhancing the eerie and melancholic mood throughout. The soundtrack is considered a standout feature, expertly matching scenes with a rugged elegance and contributing significantly to the game's immersive and unsettling atmosphere.

    • “The soundtrack is going to be the most praised aspect of this game, and for good reason: it is highly adaptable and fits almost every scene perfectly, matching the atmosphere with a rugged elegance.”
    • “The soundtrack is phenomenal, and hits all of the eeriness you'd want for a horror game.”
    • “The super lo-res visuals are incredibly evocative, the music is pitch perfect in every scene, and the writing blends the most mysterious aspects of Venetian history with the unsettling whispers of ancient rites.”

  • graphics

    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    33% positive mentions, 47% neutral mentions, 20% negative mentions

    The game's graphics feature a carefully crafted old-school pixel art style that effectively conveys a realistic 1930s Venice and enhances its atmospheric, eerie tone. While some users felt the low resolution sometimes obscured details, many praised the art for its aesthetic appeal, ability to blur disturbing scenes, and well-executed closeups. Overall, the pixel graphics complement the storytelling and soundtrack, creating a visually evocative experience reminiscent of classic point-and-click adventures.

    • “Believable and multi-layered characters, a realistic portrayal of 1930s Venice, a great atmosphere (thanks to the fitting soundtrack), and a lovely old-school pixel art style.”
    • “The pixel graphics worked really well and every pixel was used to maximum effect.”
    • “The pixel-art sceneries are truly beautiful and the pixel art works perfectly to blur some of the most disturbing or explicit scenes.”
    • “The pixelated art style serves the purpose, though sometimes I missed some objects or details and it would have been nice to have a little more there.”
    • “Actually great game in terms of substance if you don't mind its simple aesthetic, I mean as far as I am concerned the pacing and the tone was perfect, the only thing that holds this game back is scope, the writing is good, but it's not voice acted, and the art is a bit too small, even though you did a good job with it.”
    • “In these moments, the game presents their faces in far more detail, almost as if you’ve suddenly stepped into another, more graphically advanced title.”

  • gameplay

    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions

    The gameplay is straightforward and simple, with easy puzzles and familiar mechanics that emphasize narrative over complexity. While more gameplay depth could enhance the experience, the compelling story and immersive atmosphere effectively engage players despite the light interactivity.

    • “Where it lacks are the puzzles, which are rather simple and easy to solve as long as you pick up everything along the way, but I don't think it really needs more complexity in gameplay as the focus is the narrative and you get enough interactivity by making decisions that feel like they matter.”
    • “It’s very much narrative-focused and light on gameplay, but the amount of research put into it is astounding, and along with the detailed close-up character portraits and the brilliantly atmospheric soundtrack, it is easy to ignore its few hiccups and let yourself be swept along by an increasingly dark story.”
    • “The pixel graphics are well made and the gameplay feels like home.”
    • “Where it lacks are the puzzles, which are rather simple and easy to solve as long as you pick up everything along the way.”
    • “It’s very much narrative-focused and light on gameplay, but the amount of research put into it is astounding.”
    • “A little more gameplay would have gone a long way, but the story is compelling enough.”

  • replayability

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 100% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game offers multiple endings, which enhances its replayability by encouraging players to explore different outcomes.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Carnival is a action game with horror, mystery and historical themes. Common tags for Carnival include politics, psychological, choices matter, pixel graphics, atmospheric and others.

Carnival is available on PC and Windows.

Carnival was released on August 25, 2025.

Carnival was developed by Beyond Booleans.

Carnival has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked Carnival for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Carnival is a single player game.

Similar games include ASYLUM, The Excavation of Hob's Barrow, The Last Door: Complete Edition, Unavowed, The Last Door: Season 2 - Collector's Edition and others.