'' is a tongue-in-cheek take on the 60's spy thriller genre offering the player the chance to play the villain himself and control a secret island fortress complete with powerful henchmen, loyal minions and a wide range of gizmos, gadgets and traps. Developed by .
The world of Evil Genius is divided up into regions that are controlled by Government Counter-terrorist agencies:
The game is based around the construction of an Evil Lair , which can be expanded to fill the caverns of your mountain hideout.
Evil Genius is said to be similar in many respects to '' Dungeon Keeper '' in gameplay and other aspects, like playing the typical ''bad guy''.
In Evil Genius you chose one of three dastardly avatars to put an evil face to the head of your empire:
Raised in rural Austria by foster parents, Maximilian did not have the happiest of childhoods. Already the bully’s favorite because of his stockiness and squint; the young Maximilian became even more isolated from his peers when he developed chronic stress-related alopecia after a weekend-long ritual beating from his foster father, incurred for the crime of looking at him askew.
Such early setbacks might have deterred lesser men, but bit only made Maximilian stronger, and he went on to found an extremely lucrative empire, fueled by a desire to prove his worth to the world. Yet even with his riches, Maximilian found himself rejected by his friends and beautiful women he thought he could buy. Spurned once more, he turned to misanthropy, and began to plot his revenge. If he could not make the world like him, he would have to make the world fear him...
If you select Maximilian as your Evil Genius, the game promises a reduction to any cash incentive payment used during the research process. However, this has yet to be observed in game, with many fans doubting that it actually applies. If you choose Maximilian then your Henchman to start out with is Jubei.
Maximilian's aura is average-sized, with average recovery capabilities. Execution of a minion boosts nearby minion's stats by 5.
When Alexis' father died, bequeathing his multi-million dollar fortune and media empire to her, it would have been easy for her to conform to the traditional young heiress template, frittering the money away on wining, dining, and generally living the high life. Despite being spoiled rotten, however, Alexis was also highly motivated and intelligent, with a sharp awareness of the way the world worked. Her hard work and piercing intellect saw her take the helm of her father's media empire with aplomb, and global revenues soon quadrupled under her shrewd leadership.
Alexis was not without vices, however. Years of being daddy's little princess gave her a colossal ego and a need for constant adoration. After a brief few years of contentment, the sycophantic praise she received from the flunkies in her company was no longer enough. Seeking a wider audience to worship her, she moved in front of the cameras and soon became America's darling, gaining widespread acclaim for her TV and film roles. All too soon, the glamor faded. Alexis wanted more: more adulation, more wealth, more power. Alexis wanted... the world. Alexis' beautiful presence and alluring personality commands unswerving devotion from her minions. If you play as Alexis your minion's loyalty drain rate will be reduced.
Alexis has an increased Circle of Influence which means that minions are generally more loyal, and minion loyalty isn't drained as fast as usual. Regeneration of the stats is at the slowest pace of all 3 geniuses though. If you choose Alexis then your Henchman to start out with is Eli Barracuda. Execution of a minion boosts nearby minion's stats by 10.
Shen Yu's criminal career began on the streets of Hong Kong, and none of his street urchin peers could possibly have predicted that this humble pickpocket would eventually rise to become one of the most powerful criminal masterminds in the world. As a teenager, Shen Yu joined a local Triad gang and quickly rose up the ranks. Despite his rapid elevation, he would never have risen any further were it not for a fortuitous encounter with a pair of ANVIL agents. Shen Yu was arrested immediately for his multiple homicides. They gave him a simple choice: be an ANVIL mole, or be executed. ANVIL implanted a communications chip inside Shen Yu's brain so that they could spy on Triad activity, but they underestimated the resources of the Triad. After performing yet more brain surgery on him, the Triads were able to reverse the chip's wiring and access the operational systems at ANVIL.
Desperate to avoid more meddling with his gray matter, Shen Yu defected and used the knowledge his chip provided to build up his own criminal empire. With advance knowledge of every move ANVIL made, he was untouchable, and soon found himself in a position to bid for world domination... Shen Yu's nefarious international network of spies and conspirators are constantly at work, misdirecting information and gathering intelligence.
If you play as Shen Yu it takes a longer time for agents to arrive on the island and agents spend a smaller amount of time on your island. The Henchman you start out with is Lord Kane.
Shen Yu's araa is the smallest of the 3 but has the fastest stat boosting of all the evil geniuses. Execution of minions boosts nearby minions' stats by 7.
Minions form the labor pool used to carry out various tasks, each type of minion has specific advantages and disadvantages. Both on the ''world domination screen'' and your island. There are four tiers of minions, shown below.
- Construction workers (or sometimes just ) are the most basic minions in Evil Genius, the iconic jumpsuit-wearing minions similar to those featured in the James Bond film Moonraker . Whereas other minions must be trained, Construction Workers are automatically 'purchased' when required, the frequency at which these minions come to your island depend on how much you are willing to pay for them. Construction workers are the only minions who can construct new rooms in the evil lair, and are moderately effective fighters.
- ---Guards are the first minions which are trained specifically for combat. They have higher health stats than the construction minions, and can arm themselves with rifles when the base is put onto yellow or red alert. Guard minions (like all military minions) are better at stealing money from the world map - your main source of income in Evil Genius.
- ---Mercenaries are stronger military minions - they have higher health and endurance stats than the guard, and can arm themselves with heavy machine guns if the base is put onto yellow or red alert.
- ---Marksmen wield their rifles with deadly effectiveness - which they carry with them even when the base alert level is set to green. They are very good at stealing money and protecting your other minions on the world map.
- ---Martial Artists eschew the ways of the gun, instead focusing inward to find hidden strengths. Even the most armored of enemy agents find themselves defeated by these masters of the fist (provided they get close enough to do their thing). They are very good at stealing money and protecting your other minions on the world map.
- ---Technicians repair the objects in your base when they become worn or damaged, and can research new items to a certain degree. Technicians (like all science minions) are effective at plotting new acts of infamy for you to commit on the world map.
- ---Scientists, by virtue of their lab coats, are far better at research than the lowly technician. Scientists cannot repair objects, but they are excellent at plotting new acts of infamy on the world map.
- ---Quantum Physicists are advanced science minions. Their research skills are better than regular scientists, and they are extremely good at plotting for acts of infamy on the world map.
- ---Biochemists are an important part of the science team. After all, no self-respecting Evil Genius ''doesn't'' have an army of these super-intelligent scientists carefully dipping things into assorted Green Goo . Their research skills are second to none.
- ---Valets are the first level of social minion. Valets can drain an agent or tourist's "attention" stats, causing them to walk into traps blindly and stand around for long periods scratching their heads. Valets will also carry any exhausted workers back to the barracks, and are the only minions able to utilize fire extinguishers. Like all social minions, Valets will also work in the hotel when necessary.
- ---Spin Doctors are skilled in distracting the agents and tourists on your island through draining their "smarts" - causing them to forget the things they have seen and stand around gawking at the sky for a period of time. Spin doctors are more effective than valets as reducing your heat on the world map, but they cannot perform any of the Valet's special functions, such as putting out fires or assisting exhausted minions.
- ---Playboys seduce and distract enemy agents on the island through draining a small amount of their loyalty, attention, and smarts through alcohol and whispering sweet nothings in their ear. Playboys are very effective at lowering your heat on the world map.
- ---Diplomats will reduce agents' loyalty by bribing them. If an agent's loyalty gets low enough, he or she will forget their mission and wander around the island like a tourist. Diplomats are very effective at lowering your heat on the world map.
Upon release, Evil Genius was praised for its originality and engrossing content, however the game had many Bugs of varying levels. Most of these bugs, such as crashing and the notorious poorly titled "load save" screen, were fixed in an official patch released some time after the release of the game. Some small bugs and imperfect character and object problems still exist however.
One of most disappointing areas of the game is the lack of a '' Sandbox '' or '' Multiplayer '' feature. The bulk of the game takes place in only 2 grids of pre-determined level design and, while these islands are open to many different construction opportunities, the game is limited to an extent by this.
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