The Apothecary Diaries Reveals First-Look at New Mystery Adventure Console Game
Image by Charlotte DavisThe Apothecary Diaries is making a major move into gaming with a new story-driven mystery adventure that puts Maomao’s skills as both an apothecary and investigator directly into players’ hands.
Announced during the September 9 Nintendo Direct, “The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother” will be the first console game based on the television anime and features a completely new story developed from an original concept by series creator Natsu Hyūga.
The story begins shortly after Maomao starts working as a servant within the Rear Palace, where a string of disturbing incidents collectively known as the “Five Mysteries” begins spreading fear among those living inside.
Those incidents include reports of a faceless eunuch, a warehouse that cries during the night, and clothing that mysteriously turns red overnight, prompting Jinshi to task Maomao with discovering what is actually happening.
Investigations will involve speaking with characters, collecting testimony and physical evidence, and using Maomao’s medical knowledge to prepare substances required to progress through individual cases.
Players will then piece together the evidence they have gathered through deduction sequences, eventually identifying the explanation behind each incident and moving the wider mystery forward.
That structure should make the game a particularly natural fit for The Apothecary Diaries, where Maomao routinely combines careful observation with her knowledge of medicines, poisons, and human behavior to unravel incidents that initially appear impossible.
The mystery also expands considerably beyond the Rear Palace, with the official story introducing a traveling performer named Ganyu who Maomao encounters while returning home to the pleasure district.
After prescribing medicine for him, Maomao gradually becomes caught up in a separate problem surrounding the performer, while the game’s timeline later moves forward to the aftermath of the Shi Clan rebellion.
By that point, rumors of the “Five Curses” have begun spreading through the capital, and Maomao witnesses a masked man claiming the appearance of the Emperor’s younger brother at the scene of another incident.
Jinshi denies any involvement, but support for the mysterious masked figure begins growing among the public, setting up a larger conspiracy connecting the Five Mysteries, Five Curses, and what the official site describes as a forbidden piece of history that someone attempted to bury.
The announcement follows The Apothecary Diaries’ first major step into gaming earlier this year, when browser title “The Apothecary Diaries: Palace Chronicles” launched through G123 with its own palace-based adventure featuring Maomao.
The new console release is considerably more ambitious, however, with an original Hyūga-backed narrative and investigative systems built specifically around the mystery-solving side of the franchise.
It also arrives during a major period of expansion for The Apothecary Diaries, with the anime’s third season beginning on October 2, 2026, before returning for its second cour in April 2027.
That television continuation will be followed by the franchise’s first theatrical movie, giving fans several completely different ways to spend more time with Maomao and Jinshi over the coming year.
“The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother” is scheduled for release in early 2027 on Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Steam, with further details expected to be revealed through the game’s official website ahead of launch.
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