Developers of ILL Horror Game Want Players to Enjoy Action & Storytelling
"We want ILL to make you feel like the horror is physically happening to you."
The horror game called ILL appeared on our radars years ago. The developers from Team Clout haven't been idle all this time, and their title is rapidly getting shape.
The founders, Maxim Verehin and Oleg Vdovenko, shared some details about their ambitious project, calling ILL "a story-driven action-horror game with visceral visuals, gruesome moments, interesting inspiration, exploration, and wild ideas — a good mix of survival horror elements and first-person 3D action. We’re working to balance the parts where players are s***ting their pants from fright with parts where players are screaming because they’re enjoying the intense action, shooting mechanics, and dismemberment."
The story is still hidden from players for the most part, but we know the action will take place in a fort in an Eastern European-like setting overrun by monsters. The game will focus on the personal story of the protagonist. The world will feel isolated and hopeless. "We want players to feel how dark the mood is,"
"We want ILL to make you feel like the horror is physically happening to you. Not just psychological tension or scripted scares, but a kind of grounded, body-level discomfort. The main thing that sets us apart is how we combine hyperrealistic body horror with a reactive, tactile world. Enemies don’t just die – they suffer, adapt, mutate. Your actions leave a mark, and the world responds."
ILL was inspired by Half-Life 2, Silent Hill, and Resident Evil, while the monsters took some pointers from old horror films from the 1970s to the 1990s.
"We were especially drawn to that feeling of being trapped somewhere real, reacting moment to moment with limited resources. From the beginning, we wanted to build something that felt grounded but deeply disturbing, an experience that doesn’t just scare you, but unsettles you long after you’ve put the controller down."
We haven't seen much gameplay yet, but the developers say it will involve exploration, resource gathering, weapon upgrades, crafting, and more. "There will be intense encounters — sometimes with single enemies, sometimes a small group, and cool moments when you fight waves of enemies and bosses."
Moreover, there will also be environmental puzzles and interactions. “For example, if you fix the electricity in the area, the environment changes — things might become dark somewhere else. We want the setting to feel believable and realistic.”
In the end, they want players to have different experiences that might make them want to replay the game: “We want players to tell each other, ‘Do you know about this game? This crazy thing happened!’ The other person would say, 'Okay, but this happened in my playthrough!’ We’re making our game enjoyable for different people–not only horror fans, but also players who want to experience good storytelling and cool action.”
ILL will be released on PC, Xbox, and PS5. Read more here and join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.
