Evil Genius Review (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch & PC)

Evil Genius’ comical obsession with eighties pulp and B-movie stereotypes has led to the formation of one of the most beloved lair-building sandbox series of all time. Even with all of the cliches—the conniving hands; the loyal minions; and the underground lair that just so happens to disguise itself as a legitimate business front, for example—Evil Genius has a special ability to fabricate the standard blueprint and make it fresh and exciting, to the extent that each new scheme is made to feel like a spiritual successor to a cult classic supervillain drama that you yourself can star in. It’s still faithful to the laughably bad good-versus-evil trope, but it’s also an advocate for innovation and extensive world-crafting techniques. The question is, how does it compare with other sandbox games of its kind?

Evil Genius is, first and foremost, a tip of the hat to old-school pulp fiction—the movies and comic books that you might stumble upon at an eighties reunion, that is. It doesn’t shy away from its true colors, nor does it aim to remove the cliches from a predictable trope-studded world where ridiculous schemes and global domination orbit the nine-to-five routine. No, if anything, Evil Genius embraces the concept with open arms, with as little as a mischievous tyrant, a secret lair, and bombastic dreams that only the likes of a finger-twiddling supervillain could dare conjure. And you know what? Even though it does derive from all of those laughably bad good cop-bad cop plot points, it’s also a premise that I can’t help but adore.

From the outside looking in, Evil Genius looks like a traditional top-down park management sim. And, to some basic degree, it is. However, unlike other series à la Two Point, Evil Genius chooses to cast its focus on lair-building techniques, minion management, and secret agendas that you yourself can tailor to fulfill your evil desires. And at the heart of all of this is a surprisingly in-depth experience with a lot of creative avenues to explore. For instance, the initial goal is to decide who you want to be as the curator of all evil. The goal still remains as transparent as ever: to build and implement an evil regime that will conquer the globe and monopolize (or topple) the economy. That said, as the weaver of plots, you also have the ability to choose how to go about your business. Will you be the forgiving mastermind, or the hot-headed tyrant? Or, will you simply watch from afar as the world burns whilst you sit atop your ivory tower?

Behind an eye-rolling super boss with a plethora of skins and personality traits, Evil Genius offers you the chance to explore a spectrum of different play styles. Aside from being in charge of building a lair, you also have the task of recruiting, managing, and tailoring your minion workforce to suit your agenda — even if it often involves pulverizing the odd grunt to retain your swagger and ever-evolving social status. Moreover, you have the task of keeping a lid on your “top secret” facilities—a job that requires you to adopt legitimate business practices and, on various occasions, sniff out agents who pose a threat to your evil empire. And that’s barely scratching the tip of the iceberg.

With a handful of weird and wacky scenarios to work with and a provoking interwoven network of nodes and branches to unlock and explore, Evil Genius has all of the perfect components of a great, long-lasting sandbox saga that can keep you busy for a lot longer than your average allotment sim. In addition to the trophy settings that befit a classic supervillain flick, the series also includes a solid variety of customizable features, with a treasure trove of unique but theme-appropriate rooms, super weapons, and set pieces to navigate and implement. What’s more, as it adopts a variety of challenges that require you to balance two businesses and a whole host of problematic curveballs across a number of sandbox locations, it brings a great deal of longevity and replay value to the table, too.

The good news is that, while Evil Genius does require you to think outside of the box and juggle a plethora of jobs simultaneously, at no point does the series ever feel like an overwhelming experience. It isn’t the easiest sandbox sim in the world I’ll admit, but thanks to its inclusion of humorous shenanigans and events that are often more manageable than taxing, it does make for an oddly entertaining experience with a lot of satisfying moments. It has depth, too, with a good library of wards, schemes, and managerial nodes that can keep you invested for the long haul. It might not be the best of its kind, but it is a unique experience that ought to make fledgling masterminds happy for a dozen or more hours, nonetheless.

Thanks to its eye-popping visual palette and intuitive interface, you don’t need to be an expert in world domination to yank a few strings and monopolize the economy in Evil Genius. Rather, you just need to be willing to embrace the wackiness of the situation and accept the consequences of your wrongdoings. It isn’t a difficult game, but it is one that involves a lot of trial and error. But that’s all part of the fun: the turbulent rollercoaster that sends you in all directions to keep you on your toes. It can feel ridiculous, but that’s half the reason why it’s so darn appealing, weirdly.

Verdict

Evil Genius conjures a gateway to a world where evil masterminds can unleash their inner demons and monopolize the economy in the most creative and mischievous ways possible, with its jam-packed suite of villainous schemes, super weapons, and customizable components providing all of the right tools to keep fledgling tyrants ransacking humanity for hours on end. And the best thing about it is that, global affairs aside, it is surprisingly easy to slip into with no prior knowledge on how to streamline a successful sandbox or (il)legitimate agenda.

Let it be said that, if you enjoy games like Two Point Hospital or Galacticare, then you ought to fit snuggly in the hot seat of Evil Genius’ role reversal machine. Better yet, if you’re sick and tired of playing the “good guy” and happen to be craving a little bit of mischief to wax your inner deity, then I don’t see a reason why you shouldn’t don the latex gloves and villain cape. It might not make you feel like a demigod, but it ought to scratch that curious itch, at least.