The game is inspired by the spy thriller genre (notably the James Bond film series), and is set in an alternative 1960s–70s era.

During the course of the game the player relocates to a larger, tropical island, the extinct volcano at the center of which is used as the foundation for a rocket silo.

Corridors connect the rooms within the lair and can also contain traps, which serve as one of several ways to deter agents of justice and their attempts to enter the base and gather evidence, steal money, or sabotage equipment.

As the game progresses, Construction minions may also be trained to specialize in one of three color-coded fields: military (orange), scientific (blue), or social (purple).

These Acts can be used to obtain loot to adorn the lair (increasing minion statuses), capture civilian hostages (to interrogate them), and to garner "Notoriety".

Some Acts of Infamy are references to historical events, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, while others are comical, such as a "humanitarian mission" to destroy Nashville, Tennessee and rid the world of country music.

[11] Agents, appearing singularly or in groups, are divided according to their roles: Investigators, who will try to uncover evidence of illegal operations, thus increasing "Heat"; Saboteurs, whose goal is to destroy parts of the base; Thieves, who will attempt to steal back stolen items and cash; and Soldiers, who will assault minions, henchmen and the Evil Genius him/herself.

Most critics praised the game for its humour and unique take on the god-game genre, but also criticised it for its frustrating micromanagement and annoying bugs.

GameSpot gave the game a 7.3 out of 10, stating that "while Evil Genius' dry, campy humor is often amusing from the start, it takes quite a bit of time and effort to pull off acts of infamy and establish your notoriety among global powers" and states "Evil Genius is hampered by some frustratingly haphazard pacing as well as issues with the artificial intelligence of your minions".

[citation needed] Eurogamer gave Evil Genius a 7 out of 10, commenting that "even as we sit here picking over the carcass, we're not actually all that angry about the things that are wrong with the game.

They're bad on paper, but they didn't interfere hugely with our having fun - a sure sign that that Evil Genius overcomes its flaws and ultimately satisfies".

While Rebellion purchased the intellectual property rights to Elixir's titles, the franchise remained dormant for several years aside from being re-released on digital platforms and the release of several online games.