Shit, I busted a nut too early. That karaoke scene was hot as fuck. I was edging before it even started from watching Harry and Aya's POV. So while I'm on a break while my penis recharges, I want to talk a bit about this game even though I didn't see the ending yet. I can predict a few different directions for the ending, and any of those would satisfy me, knowing that other routes would explore the different possibilities.
At this point, this game has definitely claimed the #1 spot in my NTR stories ranking, and I have played pretty much all of it and read a shitton of NTR manga/doujin. And it will likely get even better once the other routes are in.
The thing that makes this story stand out to me is Laura's mental state throughout the corruption. NTR connoisseurs would probably agree that most female MCs in NTR stories have a pretty one dimensional corruption.
- Loyal and loving girl falls to unparalleled sexual domination via seduction/rape/blackmail/drugs/mind control. Pure physical/sexual corruption that basically turns her into a mind broken whore in the end.
- A woman seeks out NTR dongs because she is unsatisfied in some way.
- Husband is an asshole who pushes her away.
- Husband is not around because of work.
- Husband is a limp dick chump (although this is almost universal for any type of NTR lol).
- Woman is essentially a cheating whore from the start and doesn't need much convincing or a reason to go for it.
Well, I'm not sure if I organized the list in a coherent way, but this list has essentially has all the usual NTR triggers. They generally don't delve too deeply into the psychology of the female MC other than this initial set up. It's straightforward sexual corruption from her side, and oblivious unease from the male MC. I'm only talking about true NTR stuff and not netorase/willing cuck or the weird western trope of a dude knowingly getting NTRed against his will right from the start but staying in the relationship for unfathomable reasons.
The thing we have in APBLU is a such a nuanced progression compared to the others. Not only is she being corrupted sexually, but psychologically as well. She has arguably the "perfect fiance" who loves her deeply and is doing his best to become a man who can stand as her equal. He views her as this perfect woman and wants to be the perfect man for her. She understands his nature and loves him. However, she doesn't view herself as flawless. She is deeply flawed and has the baggage of a turbulent upbringing. She feels the pressure of the expectations others place on her and harbors some subconscious resentment towards society. Luca, being the genius that he is, slowly peels away at the layers and starts to corrupt her psychologically by using this resentment.
If it was just sexual corruption, Laura probably wouldn't fall completely. In fact, I'm positive that the Hero route or some other routes are gonna be about that. If Harry understands her real nature and loves her for who she is (one of the pivotal choices), I'm guessing she won't be stolen in the end. The focus on the psychology is what sets this one apart. The players can see her POV and probably understand her motivations and frustrations. That's not to say that we could really empathize with her, but seeing her selfish justifications, blatant hypocrisy, unreasonable demands (that she doesn't communicate with Harry), and victim blaming as her mental corruption progresses really makes it much more satisfying than the usual NTR arcs.