Recently, developer Team Clout shared the monster design concept of his horror new work "ILL" on the official PlayStation blog.Artist Maxim Verehin and Oleg Vdovenko combined a trailer released last month to deeply analyze the creative inspiration for the weird creatures in the game and briefly reveal the core gameplay.
Vdovenko said the monster design in the game was mainly inspired by classic horror movies from the 1970s to 1990s.He particularly emphasized that at that time, the film relied heavily on physical special effects and mechanical model animations. The imperfection brought by these technologies, under the clever lighting and directorial techniques, strengthened the horror atmosphere of creatures.
Vdovenk added: "We are drawing on the works of the era that are completed by physical special effects and high-quality mechanical model animations. Those flaws are cleverly hidden through exquisite lighting design and powerful directorial techniques, creating a unique horror aesthetic."
Verehin explained the inspiration for game design, namely "Half-Life 2", "Silent Hill" and "Resident Evil" series.He highlights the commonality of these classic works: creating a vivid and dangerous worldview and integrating horror elements into the game system itself rather than relying solely on visual impact.
Verehin continued: “What fascinates us is the suffocation of being trapped in real dangers – players need to make life and death decisions in a shortage of resources. Our goal is to create a solid foundation but extremely disturbing experience that will continue to let go of the handle.”
The official admitted that there is no fixed process for the monster design.Creation may start with concept maps or web inspiration, with the core of how to transform it into actionable entities within the game.Verehin emphasized that design must take into account the fun of the combat experience, and many solutions have been eliminated in repeated tests because they are "not suitable for playing".
It is worth noting that players are not completely passive in the game.Verehin said the core gameplay includes exploring the environment, collecting resources, finding and upgrading weapons, and managing limited inventory.The battle will involve intense encounters with individual enemies, small groups, human sea tactics and leaders.The arsenal covers shotguns, assault rifles, revolvers, sniper rifles, as well as "fun handmade weapons" and a wide range of melee options.
Finally, the studio specifically thanks publisher Mundfish (the developer of Heart of Atoms) for the support provided by the animation department.This allowed the team to accumulate unique experience in making weird creature animations, such as enhancing the sense of horror by adjusting action modes (such as allowing monsters to move normally before mutation).Vdovenko mentioned that adapting to 60 frames of animation was once a big challenge (compared to the usual 30 frames), but its dynamic expression was finally recognized by the team.
