Think of a classic 1960s spy movie, except you’re not James Bond, you’re Goldfinger – that’s Evil Genius 2: World Domination. Now, if that sounds vaguely (but distinctly) familiar, that’s because Evil Genius 2 is the very long-awaited sequel to the 2004 game Evil Genius. GameByte has gone hands-on with a preview of Evil Genius 2 to see how it stands up against the first.
Lookin’ Good
Let’s start off strong by establishing that Evil Genius 2 looks great. It’s really smooth-looking with a fun, cartoon style, firmly bringing the game into the present. The colours are bright, the characters are varied (even the minions) and it’s frankly just easy to look at. Beyond this, it’s classic kitschy fun. Evil Genius 2 isn’t taking itself too seriously and, as a result, you can let loose too.
Gameplay
There is a lot to Evil Genius 2, and while I was only given access to a limited preview, there was still so much happening. I restarted once in my preview, and instead of dreading redoing the tutorial, I was glad to have the chance to improve my base layout. There are always lessons to be learned and changes to make, and so each playthrough will offer a new experience.
This isn’t a game to complete and discard, it’s one to try every option imaginable and enjoy doing it each time. With the customisation of four villains, three islands and a variety of difficulty options (including custom difficulty), there is no shortage of options. Even with the exact same settings you’ll never play the same game twice. Not to mention the newly-announced sandbox mode that presents endless opportunity for unfiltered chaos.
A detail I noticed (and loved) early on in my playthrough was the minion manager list. While basic minions are completely disposable to your villain, they all have names and personalities. Some personality traits are better suited to particular roles and some traits will remove all value for the minion. This adds a whole new level of control and customisation which I adored.
I didn’t pay too much attention to the traits, but there is ample opportunity to focus on the strengths and weaknesses of each minion, and maximise the effectiveness of your base. To be frank, I also just found it endearing. I loved knowing that my minion Melissa pressed flowers in her free time. It adds a level of immersion to the experience that makes it even more fun.
The Bad
Now, as much as I really enjoyed my preview, early Evil Genius 2 is a waiting simulator. You don’t have many minions yet, you don’t have a lot of money and you’re restricted to the whims of the tutorial. This means a lot of time is spent waiting for things to happen. There is a fast forward button and it’s very useful, but it’s still monotonous and time-consuming waiting for rooms to be built or agents to be captured. I found myself frustrated as nothing was happening quickly and I’m notoriously impatient.
Later on, after the tutorial, it’s almost a complete 180. Instead of desperately waiting for something to happen, everything begins to happen at once. It got very overwhelming very quickly. The Forces of Justice (FOJ) spies walk with a very obvious sneaking movement, and yet I would miss them constantly because there were so many other things to be paying attention to.
The secret for me, at least on Gold Crown Island, was to play with sound. The FOJ only arrived by cruise ship and so the horn of the boat would signal their arrival and I could tag them instantly. If you don’t have audio you just have to keep a regular eye on the dock and casino, which is difficult when you also have to keep an eye on everything else.
The hands-on preview I played is an in-progress build. There were known bugs that should be fixed by launch and so it is important to remember my experience does not entirely reflect the final version. Having said that, you can’t control the minions at all, and they’re useless alone. Once I unlocked technicians, the minions who maintain and repair equipment, everything in my base started breaking. At any one time I had at least 15 broken items, including a lot of fundamental equipment.
I couldn’t send minions to repair specific items, I couldn’t even force them to repair at all. I just had to hope they got around to the items I wanted repaired quickly, and they almost never did. This took the waiting sim to another level because so much was happening in my base, but none of it was what I wanted to be happening. I had a real problem with an FOJ spy incapacitated in my base, who I couldn’t imprison because both cells were broken and my technicians were healing a food bar that wasn’t even damaged.
Perhaps my biggest issue with Evil Genius 2 is the henchmen. Many of them are directly linked to the henchmen of the first game (Eli Barracuda Jr. is the son of Eli from the first game). My issue lies in the fact that the original henchmen are rather problematic. While I understand they’re satirising old spy movies it is, in my opinion, questionable when the only intentionally Black character is a gangster from New York, with a giant afro and a swaggering walk. The henchmen play into the stereotypes they’re based on and it is incredibly reductive for the characters. I get it, they’re caricatures, but it just made me uncomfortable and it shows a seeming lack of growth between 2004 and 2021.
One thing that bothered me was a seeming lapse in continuity and logic. As a villain you can order any of your minions be terminated at any moment. Their comrades turn against them instantly and execute them with ruthless efficiency. Having said that, if an FOJ spy sneaks into your base and disguises themself as a minion, all tags on them are ignored. So you can’t order them to be killed. This really frustrated me as I watched the spies creep through my base and could do nothing, but could easily kill minion Harry who played the ukulele without a second thought. It just didn’t make sense to me, and added an obstacle that I didn’t think should’ve existed given the wider context of the game.
The Perfect Sequel? Possibly.
Overall, the small part of Evil Genius 2 that I saw, I largely loved. I had a few issues as mentioned, but they really didn’t impact my overall experience. Fundamentally, the preview of Evil Genius 2 was fun and I could ask for nothing more from a game. I never played the original so there are a lot of references that I’m sure I’m missing and for fans of the 2004 game it will be even better.
It’s worth mentioning too that immediately upon first launch, I was presented with the accessibility menu. The main feature of this is the colourblind option, but there are lots of different options for customising the experience. You can set the game to auto-pause in response to certain prompts or events, which is ideal for people who need longer to process the on-screen chaos. I really appreciated this being introduced so early, and for including so many options. You can read more about the accessibility menu on the official website.
Evil Genius 2 releases on March 30th for PC. It’s available for pre-order now through Steam or through the Rebellion store. There is a deluxe edition that comes with bonus items and a season pass that can also be purchased through both platforms. Pre-ordering the game will grant you a 10% discount, or 15% if you own Evil Genius 1 on Steam.
Featured Image Credit: Rebellion