Horror games have always been one of my favorite genres in video games. Titles like Amnesia, Silent Hill, and Resident Evil were greatly influential in shaping my taste in games. With Resident Evil finding its roots in horror once again with their last few entries, and Silent Hill f also bringing their A-game, I once again looked forward to the future of horror games. And just when I was looking forward, ILL made its appearance at Summer Game Fest 2026.
Unlike other horror games, ILL showcased a much more visceral side of the genre. It was clear that the developers were not planning to play safe and were looking to provide a much more raw experience of the horror genre. With my eyes set on the game, we got an opportunity to speak with Maxim Verehin, the founder of Team Clout Inc. After an in-depth conversation, I was left feeling quite optimistic for ILL’s release and the future of the horror genre as a whole.
Waking Up to Nightmare: How ILL Builds Its Story Through Alex and a Cast You Can’t Trust
ILL is a realistic first-person survival horror game that takes players into a dark fort overtaken by a mysterious entity. The place is filled with terrifying monsters/zombies, and it revolves around the male protagonist, Alex, who is your one and only playable character, and Maxim makes it clear that “he’s not just a random guy.”
Alex wakes up from a coma with zero memories inside a mysterious facility, and that blank-slate premise means players get to discover the world alongside the protagonist.
Maxim: You’re going to explore his story, how he’s connected, and you’re going to explore the world through his eyes and the players.
Every corner you explore and every secret you uncover ties back to who this guy actually is. As for the cast surrounding him, ILL is building out a layered ensemble of characters, each connected to the facility in their own way. Early on, there’s a doctor who Maxim describes as, “like a father figure in a way because he helps you at the beginning of the game to navigate the world and teaches you more about the place.”
Maxim: But the more and more you encounter new characters, the more you kind of see this narrative in the trailer. You go deeper and deeper, and you see specialized characters that are connected to the facility where the story is taking place.
Maxim then mentions a ‘fat commander guy’ with a rich cabinet and a ‘scientist girl.’ We have already seen some of these characters, and it seems they will be acting as the main guiding posts for the protagonist in the storyline. He then reveals how Team Clout plans to blend science fiction into real history, hoping to deliver a more cinematic experience through cutscenes with the characters, while also surprising us with some good twists and just fun stuff that can be found in the game.
Where Sci-Fi Meets Screams: The Creative DNA Behind ILL’s Horror
ILL’s creative style is truly unique and follows a nightmarish design that is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in gaming. Before the interview, I scrolled through Maxim’s X page, and it made me realize the real reason behind the monstrosities in ILL, and man, do those images still live rent-free in my head. So naturally, when I asked him about his inspiration, Maxim recalled other concept artists from back in the day that inspired him. His love for sci-fi and horror spurred his creative outlook, even crediting many well-known movies from back in the day.
Maxim: I watched a lot of movies like The Thing, and I like Terminator 2 for some, you know, the badassness. You could see that this resembles a bit of ILL because ILL is like just pure body horror and graphic stuff.
Terminator clearly played a big role in shaping ILL’s creative choices. This was evident from the large mech-suit-wearing enemy that appeared in one of the trailers. Being curious about the mech, I asked Maxim if players could wear the suit in the game. That brought out a hearty laugh from him, as he clarified that it is their dream to make it happen, but they cannot promise it for the first iteration of ILL.
Out of all the movies he referenced, one wildcard entry was Skinamarink, an indie horror film. Although lacking monsters, the movie’s sound design greatly impressed Maxim and his team.
Maxim: The sound design in this movie is so amazing that when I watched it, I immediately thought that somehow we need to apply this approach to our game.
Other than movies, ILL also draws inspiration from classic horror games like Silent Hill 2 and the Resident Evil remakes. However, according to Maxim, they were sources of mere motivation rather than a direct creative influence, as otherwise it would lead to ILL losing its identity.
From Gunplay to Inventory Management, Here’s How ILL Keeps You on Your Toes
ILL is an action game that has taken a similar road to Resident Evil remakes when it comes to gameplay. The combat in this horror title is largely focused on gunplay and melee. What makes it stand out from the rest in the genre is the heavy implementation of mutilation. ILL’s gory realism is striking and stands out among the rest.
Maxim: The dismemberment system has to be fun. You have to feel that you shoot a limb, that limb falls off, and you shoot a bullet into the body, and then the chunk of the body actually flies away. And it’s not only for a horror aspect. It’s just an interactive gameplay.
Maxim recalled the fun enemy encounters of Half-Life 2, promising the same level of interactiveness in ILL’s enemies and combat. He further mentioned that although monsters in ILL would have weak points that could be targeted, not every enemy will have a similar number, and not every part can be broken. However, targeting a body part will most likely break it off in enough situations.
Maxim: Not all monsters can lose all limbs. But just visually, all the monsters in the game that are organic are going to have this kind of underbody that can be destroyed, and you’re going to see it on the monsters and all the bosses.
When asked about the game’s progression, Maxim clarified that ILL will be a very linear experience and most of the storytelling will be done using cinematics. There won’t be multiple dialogue options, and the gameplay progression would be similar to Resident Evil Requiem or other remakes.
When we switched gears to guns and gunplay in general, Maxim revealed that the game will have melee weapons like pipes, knives, and even throwable objects like bricks that would stun monsters or draw their attention away. However, they didn’t commit to a huge arsenal. Still, players can expect to find rifles, pistols, revolvers, automatic weapons, and shotguns, along with throwables like grenades, molotovs, or simple bottles.
When asked about the unique gun jamming system, a mechanic mentioned briefly in one of their Q&As, Maxim clarified that they got rid of it due to overcomplications.
Maxim: Gun jamming, even though it sounds cool, we couldn’t figure out the proper and fastest way to implement that. Maybe in some future iterations, it would be cool to explore, because it’s a cool thing for horror.
On the other hand, ILL is planning a similar approach to The Last of Us 2 when it comes to the game’s inventory system. Instead of making inventory management too hectic, they plan to focus on creating a scarcity of items. A small thing to note here is that the inventory won’t have a weight system.
The Future of Fear: Maxim on ILL’s Genre Ambitions, Development Progress, and Team Clout’s Vision
ILL is set to release sometime in 2027, so the game is still in active development. However, Maxim has revealed that many of the milestones have been reached, like completing the stories and shooting all the cutscenes.
Maxim: It’s more like post-production. And we are still a long way to go, but yeah, the (release) year is announced, and we are working hard to deliver it.
With so many horror games set to release soon, like Resident Evil Veronica, State of Decay 3, and Metro 2039, we asked what ILL brings new to the horror genre. Instead of boasting, Maxim took a humble approach, clarifying that Team Clout’s only goal is to provide a mix of a fun shooting game and horror exploration. They are aiming for the sweet spot between action and horror, something Resident Evil Requiem tried to achieve, but in a more cohesive way.
Maxim: We’re trying to be safer here in the way that we are not trying to be pretentious. We understand what scares people, and we try to bring that into the game and be original within it. Our previous experience with horror movies has taught us how to make it more interesting, more ‘us’ rather than taking from someone else.
He also looked quite excited while talking about the reaction to ILL’s trailer so far, mentioning how some moments appealed to players, and the things that drew those reactions, since they want to add more of that in the game going forward.
ILL’s trailer was definitely impactful in that sense, leaving quite an impression, even on me. The visceral feel of the enemies and the grotesque designs have definitely put me on edge. I truly hope ILL delivers on many of its promises, and I am definitely looking forward to its release in 2027. Make sure to wishlist ILL on Steam if you are also interested in playing it on release.
So, what’s your opinion thus far on ILL? Which feature have you liked the most and want them to improve upon? Let us know in the comments section below.
Ishan Adhikary
