The Elden Ring player using brain signals as a controller has managed to beat Malenia

Elden Ring Malenia boss fight blade miquella goddess rot cheese — (Image credit: FromSoftware)

A streamer has managed to do the impossible and beat Elden Ring boss Malenia using just their brain signals - I know, I can't quite believe it either.

At the start of this year, we reported on the Elden Ring streamer playing through the game with nothing but brain signals, and well, we have an update. Three months on and the streamer and psychology graduate perrikaryal has managed to progress even further in the FromSoftware title, getting as far as that pesky Malenia boss fight, almost completing the entire game.

This battle is hard enough when playing with a standard controller - although there have been several to beat it in unconventional ways such as with a dance mat or with just one hand - but this Elden Ring fan has beaten Malenia in potentially the most impressive way possible.

Twitch streamer @perrikaryal has beaten Malenia in Elden Ring with only her brain. Using an EEG she uses brain activity to both attack and healAnd she's nearly completed the whole game... pic.twitter.com/oVvJQyrWOKApril 18, 2023

If this is the first time you're hearing about perrikaryal, the Twitch streamer is known for using an EEG (a brain imaging device) to monitor their brain activity live on screen. The way it works is by picking up on electrical activity from the streamer's brain through the sensors attached to their head - which is made conductive by saline solution. To translate that into Elden Ring, perrikaryal trained the device to recognize certain "states" and bind it to the attack key.

Perrikarya literally imagines attacking an enemy in the game and, thanks to the EEG, it then happens on screen right in front of them. I can only imagine how much concentration it took to defeat Malenia, as evidenced by the look on the streamer's face when they're preparing an attack, and how exhausting it must be to play the entire game like it - way to go Perrikarya!

If you can't bear to face Malenia again, take a look at our games like Elden Ring list to find something new to play.

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training. My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.