One of the best things about being an evil genius (so I imagine) is that you get to have your very own lair filled with high technology, luxurious creature comforts, and prowling flunkies who exist solely to do your bidding and get in the way of any bullets that may be headed in your general direction. That's the focus of Evil Genius 2: World Domination, the upcoming "lair builder" that was first promised to us all the way back in 2013 (although not officially announced until 2017), and now that it's almost here developer Rebellion has released a ten-minute gameplay trailer showcasing the basics of life as a villainous housekeeper.
Building a great base is a big part of the bad guy business, but if you want to take over the world you're going to have to make some moves on the outside, too. In Evil Genius 2, that involves building and strengthening broadcast networks that will enable you to establish and support various international criminal networks, which you'll manage through an interactive map of the world. Opposing your efforts will be five "forces of justice," which will deploy an array of agents against you including "super agents," who as the name suggests will be particularly dangerous enemies.
It looks like kind of an open-world management sim, but it's described as "a narrative driven campaign game, with a very definite beginning and end point" in the trailer. "Either you'll live to rule the world, or you'll die in the attempt—though either way, you're going to live long enough to see yourself become the villain," says the narrator.
The video also touches on things like training minions, hiring henchmen, and dealing with the pesky agents of goodness who will sooner or later come calling, ideally in ways that won't end up attracting even more attention to your nefarious activities. All in all, I think it looks very promising.
Evil Genius 2: World Domination is set to arrive on Steam on March 30. For a more hands-on look at what it's all about be sure to check out our October 2020 preview, and there's also a website you can get into at evilgeniusgame.com
