It was once the dream of man to fly through the sky as the birds. Now, a cat is dreaming of it too. David Ngo and Don-Doung Quach, rocket scientist turned game designer and a programmer respectively, decided to bring some of their nerdiness to the iOS marketplace in the form of an action adventure game. Cannon Cat follows the story of Meo in his quest to save all the skyfish from the clutches of Evil Emu and his flightless bird army. A determined cat has never looked so cute being fired from a cannon, and it will fly straight in to your heart, free of charge. After eight months at the scratching post, a high-flying adventure is born that 'haz mad skillz' to go with the fantastic visuals and wonderful story for all ages.

The survival of this cute cat crusader and his mission is all dependent on your timing and tapping skills. One tap anywhere on the screen will send Meo flying in the direction the cannon is facing. Making it to the warp hole with the help of some power-ups and freeing all the trapped fish are your top priorities. Some power-ups include a shield, a time slowing device, an auto-save function, and an ability that increases the size of the fish. Just make sure not to waste the help by missing your shot or running into too many helicopter penguins. No matter how you approach this game, the simplistic mechanics and controls make it easy to master and such a delight to play. It can be put on hold for a few weeks and when you pick it back up again, it will be like you never stopped playing.

With the feel of Angry Birds weaved into the gameplay of each level through fish collection (instead of pig destruction), you get something that is addicting without even trying. Sure, you can attempt to save all your fishy friends, but going back later for them is another appeal of playing through Meo's high-altitude struggle again and again. Most first games from a fledgling company have a few hiccups and bugs yet Loqheart took their time so Meo and his cannon companions wouldn't have any misfires. The puzzles and obstacles perplex and test your reflexive skills on every shot and provide a great casual experience that shouldn't stress you out too much. You will come for the acrobatic action, but stay for the adorably dressed feline, cute sound effects, and colorful environments. If this is just a sample of their skills in the casual gaming arts then you should be looking forward to any new games they catapult to the mobile markets!

Cannon Cat

(iPhone, iPod Touch)

Cannon Cat

(iPad)

NOTE: This game was played and reviewed on an iPod Touch 3rd Generation. Game was available in the North American market at the time of publication, but may not be available in other territories. Please see individual app market pages for purchasing info.