Evil Genius is a flawed gem. Every now and then, you’ll get a little sparkle that will remind you why you’ve invested so much in it. Following on the considerable success of Dungeon Keeper, you play as one of three evil geniuses, bent on conquering the world. You have a not-so-very secret island as a base to stage your evil schemes, a host of minions to cater to your every will and plenty of pesky do-gooders seeking to throw a wrench into your maniacal plans. Probably the biggest flaw with Evil Genius is your lack of control. Minions can only be directed through the use of Tags, allowing you to kill, capture and weaken your enemies. They have very little intelligence on their own and this can often result in some very frustrating situations and tiresome micromanaging. This issue is further evidenced once your research option has been unlocked. In theory, your science minions roam your base and lowly find upgrades for your rooms, equipment and traps. As it is impossible for you to direct or encourage research, everything is really down to luck. A priorities setting would have allowed you to ensure that research is always a constant, especially as time goes on and the need for better and better equipment becomes essential. A rudimentary intelligence and a priorities setting would have really helped Evil Genius. Being able to default all minion behaviour instead of the placement of tags would have helped considerably, as well as a more fleshed out security system. This way, the use of tags would allow you to fine tune your minions behaviour, rather than be the soul and centre of their intelligence. Evil Genius also has a huge issue with idling. It’s very easy to reach certain areas in the game where there’s just nothing to do but wait. Wait for your minions or money to arrive, wait for missions to be completed, wait for research to be done (good luck), wait, wait, wait. Of course, you can amuse yourself by capturing the odd agent or two and throw them into an interrogation device and giggle over the results, but this can get old quite quickly. Normally, as a long time admirer of old school city building games, I wouldn’t mind waiting however the situation on your Evil Island is quite static, especially if you’ve developed a good series of traps and time wasters for the enemy agents poking around. Too much time is spent waiting for something to attract your interest, and adding tedious minion micromanagement, you have a recipe for irritation. There’s a surprising amount of content here. It’s possible to create an incredibly complex and impressive base and you’re really going to have to plan things in advance to capitalise on your limited space. Not to mention, you’re going to need to construct some time wasters to ensure those pesky agents can’t mess with your plans. A series of traps and false entrances can usually keep the agents of good from entering your stronghold, though keeping your eyes open will still be necessary. The graphics have a bright, blocky, cartoon look to them that never really seems to get old. Of course nothing here is going to impress, but it shouldn’t turn you off either. The animations and locations are solid and well done. 60’s style is simply perfect for this game and the music is brilliant. Evil Genius often reminds me of No One Lives Forever. The music and the settling really develop this wonderful sense of immersion, as well as providing this skewed sense of humour that never fails to bring a smile. Evil Genius is flawed, but it has an odd sense of charisma to it. Even after all these years, I still find myself jumping back into the shoes of a maniacal Evil Genius. Yes it’s buggy, yes it has a rudimentary AI that will often leave you wincing with distaste, but the game still manages to suck you in and hold you with its limited charms. While no successor to Dungeon Keeper, it has aged significantly better and is a superb attempt at continuing the genre. With a solid soundtrack, entertaining moments and endless supplies of charisma, every now and then it’s possible to overlook the bugs and dig into your quirky dark side for a few hours. A definite recommendation for anyone with patience and a skewed sense of humour.
