Ladykiller in a Bind, "an erotic romantic comedy about social manipulation, crossdressing, and girls tying up other girls," promises "choice-driven mechanics, and lots of sex." Generally speaking, that's the sort of thing you tend not to see on Steam. But designer Chrstine Love has revealed on Twitter that it will in fact be released on Steam, early next week, with all its naughty bits intact.
Ladykiller in a Bind will be available—fully uncensored and unedited—on Steam on Monday, January 9. https://t.co/jUB9KOo1Hh pic.twitter.com/hzkAZRSdHyJanuary 4, 2017
That's significant, because the description on Steam makes it clear that there's a lot more going on than just an occasional flash of skin. "Six nights worth of explicit, consensual, kinky lesbian sex... or live dangerously with four extra sex scenes with your brother's classmates who just want to fuck you up," it says. But even though sex is the obvious hook, Ladykiller's real strength lies in something deeper: As Kill Screen said in its review, "The game oozes a magnetic confidence, from its sound design to its narrative tone—which is at once playful and intelligent ... Sex isn’t so much what makes the protagonist sexy, but rather what’s most terrifying and beastly about her—and also so very human."
Interestingly, the idea that the game might need to be censored never came up—and apparently Steam doesn't actually have an official policy against sexually explicit games in the first place. "As far as I'm aware, nothing actually changed," Love told Polygon. "There was never an outright refusal from them originally, just some uncertainty about whether or not it would be okay. (Since there's no real explicit policy about this sort of thing.) Once I actually got through and was able to discuss it with Valve, they were extremely supportive and immediately understanding—they agreed that it wouldn't be appropriate to censor the sexual content of the game, and never even asked me to."
There is an option for players who'd prefer a somewhat less in-your-face experience, however: A November update added a "safe for work" option that covers up the nudity with Christmas sweaters. Gamers who already own Ladykiller in a Bind—it was originally released on the Humble Store last year—will be given Steam keys automatically when they become available.
