Of course, there’s a fine line to straddle in such instances, and ILL isn’t interested in a stingy atmosphere that’s too punishing. When Insider Gaming asked if it’s as difficult as it looks, Team Clout responded, “When it comes to difficulty, we don’t want to overly punish players, but we also don’t want them to feel like an unstoppable action hero who can just brute-force through every obstacle.

“Players will need to carefully and tactically manage their resources, which will be incredibly scarce, and makeshift melee weapons, like pipes ripped straight from the walls, will degrade and break over time.”

Going into further detail, it sounds like your average survival-horror gameplay loop made famous by genre greats like Resident Evil and Silent Hill (which is one of the game’s inspirations). “You’ll have to think on your feet: deciding which resources to use now, what to save for later, and assessing the specific types of monsters in front of you to properly leverage the environment and your position. So yes, players will need to stay sharp and adapt, but we don’t want the experience to be frustratingly difficult.

“First and foremost, we want the action to be fun, even amidst the unfolding bloody nightmare. For us, it’s all about striking that perfect balance between survival horror and action.”

Which is easier said than done, and it wouldn’t be surprising if ILL offered varying difficulty settings for those who want a more story-focused experience while retaining the horror. Meanwhile, seasoned veterans who prefer a punishing experience with scarcer resources can take their skills to the limit. How well will the default difficulty sit in the middle of these two figurative options? That remains to be seen.

For now, Team Clout has plenty of time to polish ILL, which is currently targeting a 2027 release for PS5 and PC. For even more of its gruesomeness, check out the first disturbing trailer here.

ILL puts players in the shoes of a man who was initially hospitalized before a massive explosion changed everything. After having spent some time in a coma, the protagonist wakes up to find that they have essentially become surrounded by horrifying creatures that, at some point, may have been human. Armed with a few guns and the support of fellow survivors, the player must figure out how to escape from the hellish scenario.

Along with giving us a closer look at the body-horror-inspired title, the trailer has also confirmed that ILL will be coming to PC and PS5 in 2027. In the meantime, its store pages are now live so fans of horror games can add it to their wishlists.

The developers behind ILL – namely aartists Maxim Verehin and Oleg Vdovenko – have previously spoken about some of the other stories that inspired the studio when it came to designing its horrific creatures. Chief among the inspirations were classic horror movies that came out between the 1970s and the 1990s. Along with these, games like Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and Half-Life 2 were also major inspirations.

“In games, it’s Half-Life 2, Silent Hill, and the 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.”

ILL is a first-person action horror game that takes place in a mysterious research fort. As the trailer shows, the game focuses quite a bit on the body horror genre, with grotesque enemies waiting around every corner to take players out.

According to the trailer’s announcement press release, Team Clout has previously garnered experience in working on horror projects by working with renowned directors on horror movies.

In terms of gameplay, ILL will feature an advanced dismemberment systems that players will have to make use of to survive against the grotesque enemies present in the game. The title will also make use of binaural audio to amplify atmosphere.

ILL will also be the first game to be published by Mundfish Powerhouse – the publishing label by Atomic Heart developer Mundfish.

ILL is coming to PC. The title also has a store listing on Steam.