ILL is one of those special games that are announced early on in development and go silent for a long time. Back in 2021, Team Clout gave us a glimpse at their upcoming horror game where the protagonist is making his way through a building with a revolver in one hand. The environment looked perfect for a horror game. Unfortunately, the game went pretty silent after that reveal. A year ago, we got the first gameplay trailer for the game. The ambitious graphics, animations, combat, and environment made it look like the development team was bluffing. That was until their State of Play reveal, the official “story” trailer for the game. Now, Team Clout is more active in marketing their upcoming horror experience. In a recent interview, they talked about the difficulty system players can expect upon launch.
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ILL Wants To Be Challenging, Not Frustrating
Not all gamers are built the same. Some enjoy a difficult gaming loop while others find it frustrating. ILL wants to please both. The team behind the game’s development wishes to aim for a difficulty system that feeds all sorts of players. While they don’t want it to be a walk in the park, they don’t want you to turn off your system after getting stuck on a level either. An interview with Insider Gaming revealed Team Clout’s thought process behind setting up the upcoming horror game’s difficulty.
“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.”
There are plenty of horror titles available for us to draw a comparison. Each one plays differently and has a varying difficulty system. For example, while a game like The Last of Us puts players in a “survival” situation, a Resident Evil title where you are playing as Leon Kennedy or Chris Redfield makes you feel like an action hero. Both games are critically acclaimed and have their own devoted player base. ILL, however, wishes to strike a balance.
“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.”
According to Team Clout, players will be forced to think on their feet, but they will try their best to make sure that the gameplay loop doesn’t frustrate the players. With an expected 2027 release, we have yet to see more of this game. Stay tuned for further updates.
Featured Image Credit
Image via Steam
