Mermaids of Atlantis: The Riddle of the Magic Bubble

Mermaids of Atlantis is a censored localization of the formerly pornographic game Bubble Bath Babes (also known as Magic Bubble or Soap Panic) with all nudity removed. Instead of showing erotic images after stages are cleared, this version of the game has cutscenes describing how the greedy emperor O-Dinten sealed the merpeople's games in protective bubbles and forces them pay licensing fees. You must solve puzzles to unlock the games, as an allegory of the real-life situation with Nintendo's lockout chip making it difficult to release unlicensed games for the NES.

The gameplay is reminiscent of that of Tetris and Puzzle Bobble in that the goal is to steer clusters of rising bubbles and place them so that they connect to other bubbles of similar color along the top of the screen. If the sufficient number of similar bubbles are touching, they will be cleared and all free neighboring bubbles will rise further, allowing for combos. If the accumulated bubbles on screen reach the bottom of the playing area, the game is over. If a level is completed, the player will be rewarded with erotica.

The game is very difficult to find and is sought after by collectors, often topping prices of $1000 U.S. Dollars on auction sites such as eBay.

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