Alex Garland, writer of 28 Years Later and director of the upcoming Elden Ring film adaptation, recently revealed that his strategy for conquering FromSoftware’s notoriously difficult boss encounters relies on persistence rather than skill-based mastery. Speaking in an interview with IGN, Garland—who is currently on his seventh playthrough of the 2022 open-world hit—shared the unconventional philosophy he developed while playing Dark Souls.
The “Monkeys and Typewriters” Approach to Bosses
When asked to identify the most challenging encounter in Elden Ring, Garland dismissed Radahn as “really easy,” instead pointing to Malenia as the true test of endurance. Rather than relying on guides or YouTube tutorials to improve his mechanical performance, Garland credits his success to raw, repetitive attrition.
“I just throw myself at them again, and again, and again, and again,” Garland explained. “That was the technique I learned with Dark Souls. It’s not that you get better, it’s more like monkeys and typewriters. You just keep doing it, and eventually, one day they’re dead.”
Changing the Narrative on Difficulty
While this approach may seem simplistic to players obsessing over frame-perfect dodges and optimal builds, it offers a liberating perspective for those intimidated by the genre’s punishing reputation. By reframing the experience as a matter of repetition rather than a requirement for immediate self-improvement, Garland suggests that players can overcome steep difficulty curves through sheer persistence and the occasional stroke of luck.
Translating the “Existential Dream” to Film
Despite his candid take on gameplay, Garland remained tight-lipped regarding the specifics of the upcoming Elden Ring movie. While reports from Deadline have linked actor Kit Connor—who starred in Garland’s recent film Warfare—to the role of the Tarnished, these details remain speculative.
Garland’s deep personal connection to the source material may prove vital for the adaptation. He has previously described FromSoftware’s cryptic narrative style as an “existential dream,” a tone he aims to capture when the project eventually hits the big screen.
