Evil Genius is a single player real-time strategy and simulation video game developed by Elixir Studios and published by Vivendi Universal Games, released on September 28, 2004. Since March 2, 2006, the intellectual property rights of the game have been owned by Rebellion Developments.
The game is inspired by the spy thriller genre (notably the James Bond film series), and is set in an alternative 1960s–70s era. Most closely resembling Dungeon Keeper, the gameplay puts players in charge of a villainous force attempting to achieve global domination whilst fending off the forces of justice; to this end the gameplay is split between management of a base and the completion of "acts of infamy" in the rest of the world. The game has stylish, cartoon-like visuals and contains a great deal of tongue-in-cheek humour, particularly playing to clichés of the spy genre.
Gameplay
Evil Genius contains a mixture of real-time strategy and simulation elements, and is described by Rebellion Developments as a "real-time mad scientist lair management strategic simulation". Gameplay is split between managing a lair, together with the "minions" that populate it, and the "World Domination screen". The game is set in a non-specific time period, with the use of historic regions (the Eastern Bloc) and events (the Cuban Missile Crisis) suggestive of the 1960s and 70s, albeit in an alternate timeline; furthermore, the styling of the game is reminiscent of the 1960s Atomic Age designs. Evil Genius consists of a single game mode wherein the ultimate goal is to build a doomsday device and force the capitulation of the world to the player's "Evil Genius". This figure is selected at the beginning of the game from one of three choices—Maximilian, Alexis or Shen Yu—and acts as the player's avatar; if killed, the game ends.
The first lair is constructed within the base of a mountain on a desert island. During the course of the game the player relocates to a larger, tropical island, the extinct volcano at the centre of which is used as the foundation for a rocket silo. The lair comprises various rooms, each of which contains objects for use by minions, either for the replenishment of certain "stats" (e.g. objects in the Mess Hall restore endurance) or to provide a function (e.g. the Power Plant room contains objects that generate power and allow the lair to function).
Corridors connect the rooms within the lair and can also contain traps, which serve as one of several ways to deter agents of justice and their attempts to enter the base and gather evidence, steal money, or sabotage equipment. Trap results vary from simple confusion and movement impairment to stat reduction and death, and catching agents within a combination of traps will reward the player with money. New objects can eventually be unlocked through the Laboratory via combining already-existing items with pieces of equipment.
Players have no direct control over the minions they employ, but can interact with them using "Henchmen" and the Evil Genius. Construction workers are the basic minion type and can be trained to specialize in one of three fields: military, scientific, or social. Each field has three successive minion levels, with the third level having two specialized branches. Initially these higher branches are unlocked by acquiring and interrogating civilian hostages, after which their skills can be passed on to other minions via training equipment. Like the Evil Genius, the player has direct control over "Henchmen". Henchmen are stronger than conventional minions, obtainable only at certain stages throughout the game, and can be upgraded with two special moves after gaining experience.
The "World Domination screen" comprises an interactive map of the world divided into regions to which the player is able to send minions from their lair to steal money or to commit "Acts of Infamy". These Acts can be used to obtain loot to adorn the lair (increasing minion statuses), capture civilian hostages (to interrogate them), and to garner "Notoriety". Many Acts advance the ultimate goal of constructing the doomsday device. Acts require variable amounts and types of minions, and each carries a degree of risk. Although, the player has no direct control over a mission, they can increase the chance of success by mixing minion classes and allocating greater numbers; the danger of committing Acts is compounded by the occasional appearance of Agents in certain regions, which the player can choose to hide their minions from. Some Acts of Infamy are references to historical events, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, while others are comical, such as a "humanitarian mission" to destroy Nashville, Tennessee and rid the world of country music.
The lair must be defended from the "forces of justice": five government counter-terrorist agencies under whose control the world is split. S.A.B.R.E controls Western Europe, Australasia, the Indian Subcontinent and Southern Africa. P.A.T.R.I.O.T controls North America and the "Pacific Allies" (Japan and South Korea). H.A.M.M.E.R controls the Soviet Union, the Eastern Bloc, and Cuba. A.N.V.I.L controls China and Southeast Asia. S.M.A.S.H controls the remainder of the world with the Middle East, Northern and Central Africa, South America, and Antarctica. Any Act of Infamy carried out within a region, and even the mere presence of minions (but especially if they are siphoning money back to the lair) will increase the level of notice, or "Heat", of the alliance that controls it, triggering a proportionate response: those alliances with the highest levels of heat will send their most skilled forces. Agents, appearing singularly or in groups, are divided according to their roles: Investigators, who will try to uncover evidence of illegal operations, thus increasing "Heat"; Saboteurs, whose goal is to destroy parts of the base; Thieves, who will attempt to steal back stolen items and cash; and Soldiers, who will assault minions, Henchmen and the Evil Genius him/herself. As the player acquires "Notoriety", they will attract the attention of "Super Agents", one from each of the five alliances; these agents combine two of the aforementioned roles, require special objectives to be met to permanently defeat, and are able to kill Henchmen over time by depleting their pool of lives.
