REVIEW - Is Evil Genius 2 An Evil Genius, Or Just Plain Evil?
Twirl that moustache.
By Byron Woodland
29/03/21
Reviewed on PC.
Review copy provided by Rebellion.
So when the opportunity to get a pre-release copy of Evil Genius 2 landed in my lap, to say I was eager was an understatement. The game has been developed by Rebellion, who own my favourite comic franchise 2000AD and have also produced the stellar series of Sniper Elite games. Given this pedigree I had high expectations for the game, and I am pleased to say that I wasn’t disappointed.
The game describes itself as a “satirical spy-fi lair builder”, and is a base building strategy game that sees you take control of one of four Evil Geniuses intent on world domination. The geniuses themselves have a stellar voice cast, including Samantha Bond (Miss Moneypenny – James Bond) and Brian Blessed (Prince Vultan – Flash Gordon) which gives the characters a very much appreciated depth that is so often lacking in this genre of game.
Fans of films like Despicable Me, Austin Powers and the more over the top elements of the Bond franchise will find a lot to love with the fun it pokes at the genre. Freeze rays, extendible boxing glove traps and shark tanks are just a few of the things on offer to the discerning evil genius. Fans of the first game will also be pleased to see some familiar faces in this second offering that picks up several in game years after the first. If you have never played the first game (like me) then don’t worry, you won’t feel like you have missed anything starting with this entry.
Each genius has their own unique story, abilities and weapons as well as a choice of several different locations to build their base, each with their own pros and cons. This gives the game a great amount of replay value, giving you the opportunity to explore different stories in different locations and won’t leave you feeling like you’re doing the same thing on multiple play throughs. If that wasn’t enough, Rebellion plan to release further free and paid content after launch that includes a new evil genius, new lair locations and a host of other items to further increase the variety on offer.
For my play through I went with the recommended character of Maximillian, your traditional follicly challenged, ego-maniacal, gold loving supervillain (a man after my own heart). I chose the most forgiving tropical island base for my lair and it was here that my quest for world domination began.
The game does a great job of walking through the various different mechanics in play without becoming too obtrusive or tedious, and there is enough complexity to feel challenging without being overwhelming. The various cutscenes peppered throughout your progress provide a comedic insight into the inner workings of your chosen despot’s mind and their general disdain for the minions under their control. The graphics are great and zooming in from your god’s eye view to get a close up of what is going on yields very satisfying results, albeit in a comic book/Pixar style.
Begin by fleshing out your secret lair, laying out floor plans and equipment for power, surveillance and services for your ever growing army of minions. Conduct scientific research to unlock new items and skills and interrogate detainees to gather intelligence crucial to progression. Various skill trees allow you to prioritise what is important to you in your play through and let you develop your technology, infrastructure and minion skills. Don’t forget to maintain a plausible front for your evil doings whilst expanding to ensure those pesky investigators and agents of justice are none the wiser to your machinations of doom!
If the minutiae of running and maintaining your lair becomes tiresome and executing random minions isn’t the thrill it once was, you can also move onto the global stage. Claim territories all over the globe to allow you to conduct missions in them for gold and other necessities. Bribery, kidnapping, subjugation and annihilation are all in a days work for the budding super-fiend. Be careful though, the forces of justice are always watching and will not take kindly to your scheming. They will try to thwart your efforts at every turn and prevent you from reaching your ultimate goal of taking over the world with your unique doomsday weapon.
I really enjoyed my time with Evil Genius 2 and it’s clear the developers have put a lot of thought into the design and playability. If you enjoy base building/RTS games then this is a solid entry that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Even if you are not a fan of this style of game, this one might surprise you. It is very easy to pick up and comes with a large amount of tongue in cheek to keep you smiling.
I trust him completely.
WORTH IT?
At the bottom of every game review, we ask the question: Worth it? And the answer is either “Yeah!” or “Nah”, followed by a comment that sums up how we feel. In order to provide more information, we also have “And” or “But”, which follows up our rating with further clarification, additional context for a game we love, or perhaps a redeeming quality for a game we didn’t like.
YEAH!
Evil Genius 2: World Domination is well balanced, engaging and great fun.
AND
There’s lots of replay value so plenty of bang for your buck.
TARPS?
At the bottom of some of our articles, you’ll see a series of absurd looking images (with equally stupid, in joke laden names). These are the TARP badges, which represent our ‘Totally Accurate Rating Platform’. They allow us to identify specific things, recognise positive or negative aspects of a games design, and generally indulge our consistent silliness with some visual tomfoolery.
