Price: $0.99    Score: 9/10    Category: Games

The loveable goldfish Mighty Fin bought a vacation from the highly suspicious Shady Sal. Now he’s bouncing from one ocean to the next in a mad dash for survival.

That’s the premise of the new swimming adventure from Launching Pad Games, and despite claims of Tiny Wings inspiration, this is a trip unto its own.

Of course the two titles share quirky cartoonish graphics and one touch controls, but just as soon as touching the screen on Mighty Wings sends the bird upward, Mighty Fin dives under the sea and into a world that’s all its own.

As Mighty Fin’s captain at sea, it’s your job to send him careening through the water collecting as many coins as possible. Icebergs, lighthouses, pesky coral and unexpected squid must all be avoided though, because anything with spikes or a mouth will either gut Fin or gulp him up in a single bite.

In the case of an accident Fin starts back at the beginning of the animated adventures like Backwater Bay or Teacup Tempest, but if he avoids enough sharks and scales enough lighthouses, he flips up into the sky and straight in front of his vacation map.

All said and done there are eight levels in Mighty Fin with four sets of completely unique scenes played out twice. The levels themselves vary with every deep dive into the sea, but considering how impossible it is to walk (or swim) away in the middle of the action, you can expect to beat this game in one or two sittings.

Everything about Mighty Fin from the voyage soundtrack to the seamless one touch controls that let you determine Fin’s upward or downward trajectory is wonderfully executed. For less than a buck this is a delightful little title.

If Fin swims through the right orbs along his path he can collect all kinds of accessories from the costume store, from a sombrero to earmuffs or a top hat and monocle. This quirky little addition provides some extra replay value for Mighty Fin, but at the end of the day all we can ask from Mighty Fin’s developers is more. Despite how quick it is to beat Mighty Fin, this could be one of the best games to hit the iPhone for under a buck.

Bottom Line: Mighty Fin is a frantically fast under the sea adventure with quirky graphics and and a wonderfully simple objective. Grab the coins and avoid the perils of the ocean.