ILL Developers Were Inspired by Silent Hill, Half-Life 2 For Their “Alive and Dangerous” Worlds

Developer Team Clout has shared details about how it designs monsters for its upcoming horror game ILL. In a post on the official PlayStation Blog, artists Maxim Verehin and Oleg Vdovenko spoke about creature design, especially in light of the game’s trailer from last month. The duo spoke about their inspirations for the game, and even gave us a quick rundown of what gameplay in ILL will involve.

Vdovenko spoke about the inspirations behind the grotesque creature designs in ILL, revealing the studio took inspiration from classic horror movies from between the 1970s to the 1990s. He brought up how the movies of the time relied largely on practical effects, and how this lent the creatures in those movies with unique imperfections that only added to their creepiness thanks to clever lighting and direction.

“Mostly old horror films from the 1970s to the 1990s,” said Vdovenko when asked about how Team Clout was inspired for the creature designs in ILL. “Everything was done with practical effects and quality animatronics. The imperfections were hidden with smart lighting and strong direction.”

When it comes to other games that might have served as inspirations, Verehin mentioned classic titles like Half-Life 2, Silent Hill, and Resident Evil. He especially brought up the fact that the worlds in these games felt “alive and dangerous”, and while the there was a visual element to the horror, there were also gameplay systems that supported the horror.

“In games, it’s Half-Life 2, Silent Hill, and Resident Evil series – titles where the world felt alive and dangerous, where the horror wasn’t just visual but systemic,” said Verehin. “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.”

However, Team Clout doesn’t have a strict “process” for its creature designs. The studio instead tends to be more freeform in its designs, from concept drawings all the way into the creature making it into the game. He also mentioned how creature design also often has to take gameplay into account, since players will get to fight these creatures as well.

“We don’t have a set process for creating a new monster,” Verehin explained. “Sometimes you have a concept drawing and say, ‘how can I make this concept art a playable character in the game?’ Sometimes you see a video online featuring a scary concept. ‘Can I make a monster like that?’ It sounds ridiculous, but sometimes it works. It’s inspiration that you got from your life experience.”

“You also have to consider the monsters from a gameplay standpoint. They have to be fun to fight. There’s a trial and error process. Some designs were rejected because they didn’t work in the game.”

Verehin also brought up how Team Clout was helped by Atomic Heart developer and ILL publisher Mundfish when it came to setting up the studio’s animation department. Thanks to this, the studio is equipped with plenty of experience when it comes to animating grotesque creatures in unique ways that make them look creepier.

“We’ve had big help from the team of Mundfish in setting up our animation department,” said Verehin. “We have a lot of experience doing animation, like making our own short horror animations that taught us how movement should work in order to scare you. We’ll have, for example, a monster that moves normally at first, but we’ll try and tweak it in ways to make it more unique and horrifying.”

Oleg also described the challenges involved in making these animations, especially when the studio is more used to doing them in 30 FPS. “Compared to 30 FPS, [60 FPS] animations can feel less cinematic,” said Vdovenko. “But over time, I got used to it—and now I actually like the feel of it.”

Verehin also revealed that, while there are plenty of creatures to be scared of in ILL, players will have tools to fight back. “You explore, you use resources, you find and upgrade weapons,” he explained. “You can use your resources to craft and update weapons. You’ll need to manage your inventory, of course, because resources are limited. There will be intense encounters — sometimes with single enemies, sometimes a small group, and cool moments when you fight waves of enemies and bosses.”

The weapons available to players in the upcoming title will range from shotguns, assault rifles, revolvers, and snipers. Verehin also noted that there also be “fun, crafty weapons”, as well as plenty of melee options.

ILL is currently under development for PC.