Publisher and developer Rebellion revealed Evil Genius 2: World Domination last month during E3 2019. The sequel to 2004’s title not only aims to bring back its lair building shenanigans while putting players in the shoes of the big bad but, like Two Point Hospital before it, could suggest that it’s a great time for this type of simulators to, perhaps, make a comeback.
The first glimpse at Rebellion’s upcoming title only offered a limited amount of information, however, it was enough to piece together details regarding, story, gameplay, rooms, traps and trailer. We’ll keep updating this article with details as they pop up. Here’s everything we know about the upcoming spy-fi lair builder Evil Genius 2: World Domination.
Release Date
It’s been over a decade since Evil Genius fans got their thirst for villainy sated, so news of a full-on sequel being in the works is sure to bring about the important question of “when is it releasing?”. While no specific release date was mentioned during the game’s announcement at E3 2019, Evil Genius 2: World Domination was initially currently aiming for a 2020 release window.
That has since been pushed to the first half of 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The title is currently scheduled to arrive solely on PC, through Steam.
Story
Evil Genius 2: World Domination twists things around, having players take on the role of the villain hell bent on, well, world domination. You buld your lair up from scratch, end off the Forces of Justice, all while eyeing out the ultimate prize. As other simulators before it, it’s likely that Evil Genius 2 will focus more on gameplay and emergent stories that stem from it (such as masterfully outwitting an enemy spy to sit on your carnivorous plant trap thingy). Nonetheless, if there is an overarching narrative, details will likely be shared later.
Gameplay
Evil Genius 2: World Domination will focus on building a secret lair befitting of the evilest of villains. Players start off by choosing one of four available villains (each with their own campaign) alongside the tropical island they want to build on. If you went ahead and build your lair on the surface, it wouldn’t be all that secret, so, instead, you’ll do it inside of the mountain, covering up your activities with a casino. The choice of island will affect gameplay, determining which Forces of Justice you end up facing. The original game’s Maximilian makes a return, joining former henchman Red Ivan to make up half of the playable villains in Evil Genius 2. Each villain then comes with their own Evil Genius Aura. In Red Ivan’s case, this translates to using his stature to intimidate his minions into fighting harder.
Properly planning your lair’s layout will play an important role, as it will make minions’ lives much easier, especially as you can’t directly control them. Evil Genius 2 will also emphasize verticality and multi-level lairs. Aside from various facilities, you’ll also set up traps which aid in defending your lair against pesky good guys. Devices like the Incinerator can be used to quickly dispose of evidence. On top of that, you’ll also train your troops, increasing stats to better perform a variety of tasks, from robbing banks to recruiting other criminals and using your lair’s surveillance system to make sure no uninvited guests get in. The cherry on top is that you’ll ultimately end up dominating the world with your own Doomsday Device.
You’ll use your Henchmen to handle anything urgent, however, they won’t side with your right off the bat. Instead, they begin as Crime Lords leading their own empires. Each Crime Lord has their own story which you’ll need to go through before being able to recruit them. This involves completing three side objectives that require quite a bit of involvement. Upon completion, you can choose whether you want to turn them into Henchmen or get rid of them.
To trigger these side objectives, you’ll have to draw the Crime Lord’s attention by being active and doing crimes of your own in their territory. If you choose to pursue these side objectives, you’ll have to divert resources towards them that could be used elsewhere. Evil Genius 2 will let you have up to 5 Henchmen on your side at the same time. Each makes use of two Special Powers that define them and help you further your goals while opening up missions and opportunities pertaining to their area of expertise.
Eli Barracuda Jr. uses Charm to convince Agents that there’s nothing suspicious or evil going on while his silver revolver adds some long-range lethality to his excellent close combat skills. Full Metal Jackie, on the other hand, fancies selling guns and carries a grenade launcher. Her special abilities let her fire a barrage of incendiary attacks at foes and equip your lowly minions with guns.
Rooms
Given how planning and building your lair plays an important role in Evil Genius 2: World Domination, you’ll have access to a variety of different facilities. The game is currently in its pre-alpha phase, meaning things are far from finalized, but screenshots available on Steam have given us a first look at some of the rooms we’ll be able to place in our lair.
Brainwashing
Barracks
Super Serum
Videogames
Traps
Traps will make life hard for any would-be invader-of-lairs in Evil Genius 2: World Domination and they come in different dastardly flavors. Available choices include both classic traps you’d expect to see in spy movies alongside some goofier choices. Players will be able to set up their own labyrinths of traps and combo them to great effect. Evil villains have a sense of humor too, after all, even if it involves having a giant fan blow someone into a hungry carnivorous plant’s mouth.
Laser Trap
Shark Tank Trap
Pinball Bumper Trap
Magnet Trap
Venus Spy-Trap
Fan Trap
