Evil Genius 2 is a real-time strategy game and satirical spy-fi lair builder. You play as one of four Geniuses hell-bent on building a Doomsday Device to dominate (or even destroy) the world. Essentially, this is Zoo Tycoon meets James Bond, and you’re the villain. The game has an extensive tutorial, but it’s still good to brush up on some tips before you conquer the globe.

The four geniuses each have a different playstyle, so keep that in mind when you make your choice:

• Maximilian: he’s a generalist, so if you’re new to the game and want a good all-rounder, Max is probably a safe bet. As you might guess from his solid gold chair, he’s a material guy. He earns gold faster than other geniuses and also starts off with more minions on his base. 
• Red Ivan: the combat expert. He has a buff that makes minions rally to his side and gain a boost in combat. Another of his unique abilities is a rocket launcher called Old School with some hefty firepower.
• Zalika: the AI genius. Zalika’s abilities are focused on her scientific acumen. One of her most useful powers is the ability to repair items and extinguish fires in her vicinity. Her minions also complete research at a faster rate.
• Emma: a master of deception. She has a buff that summons minions and gives them the ability to see through agents’ disguises more easily. Her deception minions are more efficient and she can reduce heat on her more effectively.

You’ll spend a lot of time in Evil Genius 2 working on your base. You start the game with an island and a casino, building from there. Here are some tips for making sure your lair lives up to your evil reputation:

• Sell off junk in your casino: it’s the cover for your nefarious plans, but that doesn’t mean you can’t sell the out-of-order parts of it for a quick cash injection at the start of the game.
• Make backups: always build more facilities than you think you’ll need in case they get destroyed. This is especially true of Power Stations. If you go above your power level cap it will shut your entire base down. Spread out your duplicate assets and make prodigious use of fire extinguishers to limit your vulnerability to attack.
• Go multi-storey: your base can have multiple floors. This is expensive, so when you invest, use the additional floors to keep Generators, Communication Rooms, and Vaults safe.
• Get all the trappings: a good trick to slow down enemy agents is to remodel part of your Casino with traps, such as a T-junction with an Armory on either side and a shark pit in the centre.
• Size does matter: it’s better to house facilities in smaller rooms and expand from there as every room tile costs money. It’s also a good idea to combine room types, such as having a Mess Hall inside your Staff Room so it’s easier for Minions to restore themselves.

No self-respecting evil genius is complete without their Minions. In Evil Genius 2, Minions arrive automatically every 60 seconds on the helipad. In order to unlock new Minion types, you’ll have to start their side mission, capture them on the World Stage, hold them in a Prison Cell, interrogate them, build a training device, and then train new Minions with their skills. All work and no play makes Minions ineffective, so make sure you build a Mess Hall and Barracks to support them. Unsurprisingly, Minions lose morale when they pass by body bags. There are two solutions to this: capture enemies rather than kill them, and build a lot of incinerators to dispose of any bodies quickly. Job done.

When it comes to Henchmen, chose carefully as it takes a long time to get your second. The general consensus seems to be that Jubei is the most hench of the four because he can teleport.

The world map is split into five regions with a criminal network in each. A good strategy is to take on one region at a time because each area has its own Super Agent who will pursue you. You generate Heat — the level of notice drawn by the Forces of Justice — the more you send your Minions out to cause trouble. If things get too hot to handle, send them on Heat-reducing schemes, or destroy a criminal network and rebuild it.

With these Evil Genius 2 tips and tricks in mind, all that’s left to say is: be the evil genius you want to see in the world!

Article author: Florence Smith Nicholls can be found on Twitter via @florencesn