A West Auckland developer who juggles fatherhood with coding will release his debut game on Steam next month.

Chris McFarland calls game development a hobby, but nonetheless did all the programming, art, music, and sound effects for his debut release himself.

That game, Tallowmere, is a gorey 2D roguelike action platformer. You star as a nameless hero thrown into a randomly-created dungeon that Lady Tallowmere has put together, and your goal is to see how many rooms you can clear before your inevitable death.

According to McFarland, this typically takes anywhere from two minutes to two hours depending on your awareness and reaction speeds, and there are no victory conditions – the goal is simply to surpass your personal best.

Fortunately, you’ll find weapons along the way including katanas, daggers, and rocket launchers, and you can enlist up to three friends to assist you in local co-op games.

Unfortunately, every room is bigger and tougher than the last, and you’ll be battling an array of nasty enemies.

“Run and jump to avoid traps, find and loot treasure chests for new powerful weapons and armour, collect and spend souls and coins to gain strength, mind the timing and positioning of your actions, and see if you can get further than last time,” reads the game’s blurb.

McFarland cites Zelda, Spelunky, and Dark Souls as influences, but also states he was keen to create something original.

A US ex-pat who moved to New Zealand in 2001, he sunk about 18 months into the development of Tallowmere, working seven days a week for months until burnout finally caught up with him.

“I took a break towards the end of 2013 because I was sick of making prototypes and wanted a break from programming,” he says.

However, game getting Greenlit turned things around.

“Then I came back with the fuel to really sit down and make something I really wanted, and that’s what Tallowmere has become.

“I’ve learned so much over the past couple of years… The experience and learning is what it comes down to.”

Tallowmere will be available from March 3 for Windows, Mac, and Linux via Steam for US$5.