Evil Genius focuses on building an island lair and the management of minions that are employed by the Evil Genius, allowing the player to progress through the main storyline with achieving world domination as the end goal of the game. Although not explicitly stated the use of historic regions the Eastern Block and events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis within the game suggest that it is set in the 1960s and 70s and that the game is progressing through an alternate timeline.