ILL is a terrifying body horror game that will leave you shuddering.

Contents:

• Creators of ILL: Who is behind the development?

  Who is responsible for the development of ILL?

  The team working on ILL: What is known about them?

  Development of ILL: Who are its initiators?

  Authors of ILL: Who is working on this project?

• Main characteristics of ILL
• The world and mechanics of the game ILL

The horror game ILL attracted widespread attention thanks to its trailer, presented at Summer Game Fest. Immediately after, the game took its place on lists of the most anticipated horror games, alongside the new Resident Evil game. However, it's worth noting that information about the project has been available for a long time: the Russian team Team Clout has been working on it for several years and has previously shared its achievements on the DTF platform, and also maintains a page on Patreon.

We are sharing all the information about what is possibly one of the most frightening and at the same time exciting games of our time.

• Who is developing ILL?
• Key Features of ILL.
• ILL is a captivating game project that combines a unique atmosphere and exciting gameplay. The action takes place in a dark and mysterious world, where players face various challenges and dangers. The gameplay includes action-adventure elements, allowing players to explore the environment, solve puzzles, and fight enemies.

  Players can expect a richly detailed world and deeply designed locations that create a sense of immersion. Each element of the environment is filled with atmosphere, which allows for a deeper understanding of the logic and storyline. In such an environment, interaction with characters and the surrounding world becomes a key aspect, allowing you to make decisions that influence the further course of events.

  ILL also offers a variety of combat mechanics, where each duel requires strategy and tactics, not just pressing buttons. Players can use various abilities and weapons, adapting their playstyle to their preferences. This makes the gameplay more dynamic and allows each participant to find their own approach to overcoming difficulties.

  Thus, ILL is not only a visually attractive project, but also deep in content, offering players an exciting adventure with many opportunities for self-expression.

The creators of ILL: who is behind the development?

Who is responsible for the development of ILL?

The team working on ILL: what is known about it?

The development of ILL: who are its initiators?

The authors of ILL: who is working on this project?

Several months ago, a certain group of players remained skeptical about the ILL project, believing that its creators were just cheating. This mistrust was largely due to the problems with the Patreon, where activity waned over time and valuable development updates were absent. However, at SGF, an impressive trailer was unveiled, along with the announcement of a collaboration with Mundfish Powerhouse, a creative brand created to support developers. Thus, any doubts seemed to have been dispelled.

The game's development began in 2021. At that time, Team Clout employed only four people, who developed several concept trailers and were actively seeking funding. Today, the studio employs approximately 50 full-time employees, indicating significant growth and the project's seriousness.

ILL is Team Clout's first project, but before that, the developers had already created three successful mobile games: Rush Fight, Flippy Hills, and Bouncy Hills. The studio consists of artists Maxim Verekhin, Oleg Vdovenko, Alexey Mikhailov, and Vadim Vdovenko, a programmer with experience in modeling, who met at Russian art forums. Game designer Kirill Zolovkin, who became a producer and is known for his work on the game Gripper, later joined the team.

Maxim Verekhin, Oleg Vdovenko, and Alexey Mikhailov create works in the field of body horror, which serves as the basis for the ILL project. Here are some of their creations.

In the summer of 2021, the Clout team opened its office in St. Petersburg, went full-time, and signed an agreement with a private investor, whose identity remains unknown. The studio noted that it had a choice of many offers, which indicated interest from various partners. At the same time, the ILL project entered active development: the team at that time consisted of only five people, and a programmer was expected to join soon. At the time, the project seemed less ambitious than it does today, and its concept was somewhat different. However, the key characteristics of ILL were already known back then and remained unchanged—we'll discuss this later.

Since its active development, Team Clout has gradually increased its team size and also brought in freelancers to work on the project. The developers continued to announce their intention to release a demo, but it has not yet been released to the public. Development of the game was soon transferred to Unreal Engine 5. In January 2022, the studio showed a short teaser created using UE5 in real time. Additionally, another short teaser for the game was shown at Future Games Show 2022.

In March 2023, the studio announced it was in talks with a well-known partner, revealed to be Mundfish, although this information was not yet publicly available. Following this, Team Clout began to grow and moved to a new office. As of October 2023, the vertical version of the game containing the core mechanics was not yet ready, but an internal demo was soon released. As a result of cooperation with a new "secret" partner, the team began publishing updates on the Patreon platform less frequently.

By January By 2024, the studio already had over 25 employees, and the number continued to grow. During the same period, Maxim Verekhin announced that the script was fully completed. At the end of the year, Team Clout decided to change the direction of its Patreon, now serving as a platform for third-party creators with whom the studio collaborates. According to the developers, all funds raised go directly to them.

Among these creators is the versatile electronic musician Alon Mor, who is working on the soundtrack. Only one track has been published so far, but it already successfully conveys the game's atmosphere.

In an interview with Game Rant, Maxim Verekhin emphasizes that working with Mundfish Powerhouse had a significant impact on the development process. This collaboration became the starting point for the full-fledged production of ILL. According to Verekhin, the team has many questions, as ILL is their debut project, and Mundfish has the necessary answers. In addition, some experts from Mundfish provide support to the Clout team in various areas of development.

Main characteristics ILL

The game belongs to the body horror genre, which explores fears associated with the changes and distortions of the human body. In such works, a sense of horror often arises from a sense of revulsion. It seems the creators of ILL don't intend to limit themselves in this regard—their monsters look strikingly repulsive, with bloated, mutilated, and torn bodies, causing genuine nausea. The uncanny valley effect works brilliantly here: even ordinary enemies (if you can call them that) resemble humans, but something is definitely off about their forms.

Nevertheless, Verekhin emphasizes that his team strives to incorporate a variety of horror subgenres into the project. Among the sources of inspiration are such well-known games as Resident Evil, especially the seventh installment, as well as the early installments of Silent Hill and Kojima's P.T. Half-Life 2 is also an interesting addition to this list. In one response to a Patreon subscriber, Verekhin described his game as "a mix of Resident Evil and Half-Life 2."

He also emphasizes that Team Clout adheres to a traditional approach to the horror genre, focusing on the tangible and concrete threat posed by monsters, as opposed to an emphasis on psychological fear. One of the key sources of inspiration for them were horror films made between the 1970s and 1990s, where horror was formed through the use of makeup, practical effects, and animatronics.

We present to your attention a number of examples of classic works of body horror, which can be seen in the gallery.

The creators of ILL attach special importance to hyperrealism and dismemberment - this was their original concept. In one of his interviews, Verekhin shares memories of the game Soldier of Fortune, which at one time featured highly detailed dismemberment. Players often dismembered the bodies of their enemies solely to see what it would look like.

In the game ILL, the developers plan to implement a detailed dismemberment system, through which enemies will react to the loss of their limbs. Verekhin shares an example from one of the trailers, where a monster looks at its severed arm in bewilderment. Furthermore, it is noted that enemies will scream when in pain. According to the concept, dismemberment will influence gameplay: severed limbs can transform into new enemies.

Binaural sound plays a key role in achieving a high degree of verisimilitude. The creators emphasize the quality of the gunshot sound. For example, if a revolver is fired in a hallway, the sound will accurately reflect that context, creating a sense of reality.

"We approach this aspect with great seriousness, as high-quality sound design in a game is a key means of influencing the player's perception. I remember how impressive the sound was in P.T., which constantly created an atmosphere of surveillance or the presence of someone behind."

In 2021, Maxim Verekhin, who holds the position of game director at ILL, gave an interview to DTF.

Another significant feature of ILL is the physics of the game space. Monsters will react not only to the surrounding objects, but also to each other's actions—this concept was embedded from the very beginning of development. In the trailers, you can see how bodies interact with each other, and sometimes creatures pick up objects and throw them. The creators drew on the experience of Half-Life 2, which created a sense of a living world precisely through physical interactions. They strive to achieve a similar effect in ILL.

In the trailer presented at SGF, the main character strikes a monster, which can presumably be considered a child. However, it is not yet clear whether this mechanic will be part of the final version of the game, although it was already shown in one of the early concept trailers. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that the stomping mechanic is definitely going to be present—it will allow you to finish off opponents. A similar approach was implemented in Dead Space, where this technique looked quite spectacular thanks to the use of realistic physics in the gameplay.

In short, all the core elements of ILL are designed to make you experience physical discomfort and genuine fear, while the environment realistically responds to the game's events. These factors play a key role in creating an immersive atmosphere by engaging your senses.

"Realism plays a key role, as it creates a more immersive experience, which is essential for the horror genre. Thanks to realism, the player begins to perceive the world around them as something authentic. That is why we aim to achieve a high level of realism not only in the graphics, but also in animation, overall perception, sound design and other aspects."

Maxim Verekhin, who holds the position of game director at ILL, gave an interview to Game Rant.

The world and mechanics of ILL

At the moment, there is no detailed information about the game's plot, except that the events unfold in a certain research fort, possessed by a mysterious entity. This entity gives birth to Aberrations - terrifying monsters. As Verekhin explains, the name ILL, which translates as "disease," was chosen by the creators for its brevity and visual appeal as a logo, but it also has a certain connection to the game's plot.

It's also known that the narrative focuses on the individual fate of the main character, which is inextricably linked to the events unfolding in the surrounding world. This world appears isolated and hopeless. That's all for now.

Initially, the developers from Team Clout planned to create a game set in a small American town. However, they later changed the concept, choosing a setting in the USSR during the 1980s and 1990s. It's not yet clear what the final setting of the game will be, but the trailer presented at SGF shows equipment manufactured in the Soviet Union. However, Verekhin mentioned that some locations from the concept trailers will still be included in the game. The video features a scene of a giant spider destroying a wooden wall in one of the buildings—this is reminiscent of the locations shown in the first concept trailers.

Verekhin describes ILL as an action-packed survival horror game, inspired by the dark horror films released in the early 1990s. The game features a distinct plot, numerous cinematic scenes, and a diverse cast of characters. It also features resource management without being overly complex: the player will need to collect various items to upgrade their arsenal. Inventory management is also included. The player will not encounter an abundance of resources; their supply will be quite limited.

The game features both the traditional horror genre's tense moments, reminiscent of P.T., in which the player finds themselves defenseless in the face of danger, and dynamic scenes with brutal action and elements of dismemberment. The developers are focusing on making weapons feel natural and have a noticeable heft. The arsenal will include both familiar shooter weapons, such as a shotgun, an assault rifle, and a sniper rifle, as well as something more unique. There are also many options for melee weapons.

The game is not designed to have an open world, but players will be able to explore various locations. The project also features puzzles and environmental interactions: for example, restoring power in one area may cause darkness in another. "Our goal is to create an atmosphere that feels believable and natural," Verekhin explains.

The bestiary is expected to feature a variety of creatures. The fort is inhabited by both zombies (though not considered zombies in the game's context) and terrifying giant creatures. Boss encounters are also planned.

The game's release date and system requirements have not yet been announced. It is expected to be available on platforms such as PC, Xbox Series S/X, and PlayStation 5.