Play Mermaids of Atlantist Online

Mermaids of Atlantist is an unlicensed Nintendo Entertainment System game, one of those oddities that slipped out without official backing. It came from a small, obscure publisher, the kind that operated on the fringes of the NES library during the late 80s and early 90s. The game fits right in with that era's experimental, and sometimes rough, approach to platforming adventures.

You control a diver who must navigate a sunken city, screen by screen, while being observed by mermaids. The main goal is to collect a series of pearls scattered across the ocean floor, avoiding sea creatures and environmental hazards. Your primary actions involve swimming through tight passages, dropping blocks to create pathways or crush enemies, and managing a limited air supply. The controls are notoriously stiff, making precise movement a constant challenge, and the difficulty spikes quickly due to unpredictable enemy patterns. Playing it feels like wrestling with the hardware itself, a persistent struggle against the game's own limitations.