The game's setting stemmed from the idea of players being able to create and control a group of obedient creatures. The Shapers and the world of "Geneforge" were the result of Vogel imagining how would a being possess such power and how would they use it. The game's setting, a mixture of science fiction and fantasy, differs from the pure science fiction setting the game had been envisioned as. Vogel had difficulties balancing gameplay with the powerful directed-energy weapons players would expect to use in a science fiction game. Sales exceeded the developer's expectations, despite fears that the departure from Spiderweb's "Avernum" series would deter players. "Geneforge" received a positive reception from reviewers, despite the quality of the graphics being rated as poor and the game containing one piece of music, the title theme. The plot and setting were praised by reviewers for uniqueness and detail.