ILL is an upcoming horror game with a chilling setting. It takes place in a Soviet-era facility, shrouded in mystery and occupied by horrifying Aberrations. The sheer environment around the player looks deeply morbid and paints a terrifying picture of things to come, and from the trailers that we’ve seen, the Eastern Bloc inspiration runs deep through ILL.
It’s not a super common setting for a horror game, though. That’s something that came up when I interviewed the folks at Team Clout recently, learning more about ILL and what inspired the setting.
Inspired by Real Locations
ILL promises to be one of the most brutal horror games ever made. Everything we’ve seen from it thus far points to an extremely high level of visceral brutality in the game, which will put it on the radar of horror fans everywhere.
After watching the most recent trailer, which uncovered ILL’s story, I found myself curious enough to learn more about the game’s setting. As I said, ILL takes place in an isolated research fort, in which the player awakes after suffering through a lengthy coma. It’s bursting with vicious, violent enemies and mysteries that will unravel as the story unfolds.
The team explained the inspiration behind the setting:
In terms of the setting and overall vibe, as mentioned, we drew a lot from our favorite films and games. For the location itself, which is an isolated research fort, we really love self-contained settings that feel like a character of their own. We wanted players to explore and navigate one massive, intricate facility rather than jumping between completely different countries or regions.
But this doesn’t mean the fort is small or lacks variety – in fact, our research fort is huge, featuring completely distinct areas ranging from a hospital and laboratories to locations we aren’t ready to reveal just yet. Players will transition from claustrophobic, indoor corridors to vast spaces out in the freezing, open air, ensuring plenty of environmental diversity.
But why the 1970s Eastern Bloc setting? Don’t get me wrong, I love games with this vibe, as even though it’s miserable, it’s a powerful aesthetic that instantly lets you know where you are and what the vibe is. I get a similar impression when I play games like Escape from Tarkov, Metro, and STALKER.
Team Clout’s guys explained that too:
As for choosing a 1970s Eastern Bloc as a setting, it came down to the fact that this culture and environment are deeply familiar to us. Many on our team grew up in these regions, allowing us to recreate these environments with nostalgic authenticity, incredible attention to detail, and a true love for the atmosphere.
It was a deliberate choice that enables us to craft truly authentic, grounded environments that make players genuinely believe in the reality of the world around them.
ILL is shaping up to be something special, and it is already dominating wishlists worldwide. Earlier this year, the team revealed that more than one million people had put ILL on their wishlist, and that number is increasing all the time.
Are you looking forward to ILL? Let us know your thoughts about the game on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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