Tomas Sala and The Falconeer, a story of self-discovery and escape

"It's somewhere between a beaver and a rat."

Of all the things I thought I'd learn from solo game maker Tomas Sala, the existence of muskrats wasn't one of them. They're real! They're like oversized rats but with big webbed back feet for swimming through your nightmares with. And where Sala lives, near Amsterdam, they're a big problem. They gnaw into and burrow in dams, weakening the structure, until one day, crrrrreeeaaaaack, the whole thing comes crashing down. Let them have their way and what would be left - Amster?

They're what's known as an invasive species, and it's why, in the wood I can see in the window behind Tomas Sala - which I only really comment on to make polite conversation - I discover they have a headquarters for a task force which canoes out and catches, and cages, the muskrats before the rodents wreck everything. And so in five minutes of talking to Sala I realise two things. One, he has something interesting to say about almost everything. And two, everything he says unerringly manages to be about his game The Falconeer, which unerringly always manages to be about him.

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