The Apothecary Diaries is finally making the jump to consoles with a brand-new mystery adventure. KOEI TECMO America and developer Gust, in collaboration with TOHO Co., Ltd., have announced The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother, the first-ever console game adaptation of the popular franchise. The game will feature an original story and new characters conceptualized by series author Hyuganatsu, alongside familiar faces from The Apothecary Diaries. It is currently in development for Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam, with a release planned for early 2027.
In The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother, players once again take on the role of Maomao, the pleasure-district apothecary who now works in the rear palace. Her latest investigation centres around the Five Mysteries and Five Curses, a series of strange phenomena and conspiracies causing trouble throughout the rear palace, the pleasure district, and the streets of the capital. Her investigation soon leads her to a masked man calling himself the “imperial younger brother,” turning Maomao’s search for answers into a mystery that could expose a secret capable of destroying the imperial court.
Maomao will be joined by familiar characters such as Jinshi, the influential eunuch of the rear palace, as well as new faces including Guanyu, a travelling actor whose growing popularity has caught the attention of the capital. Players will need to explore different locations, gather evidence, interview witnesses, and organize their findings to make deductions as they attempt to uncover the truth behind the Five Curses and the identity of the mysterious “imperial younger brother.” Maomao can also collect apothecary ingredients and use them to concoct medicines that can serve as evidence or help her companions.
The investigation will take Maomao beyond individual crime scenes, with players able to explore the surrounding city and rear palace in search of clues and information. Venturing outside the city will also allow Maomao to gather ingredients for her medicines, giving exploration a direct role in progressing the investigation. Once enough information has been collected, players can move into the deduction phase to piece together what they have discovered.
During deductions, Maomao will review the available clues and summarize the facts as she works toward solving each mystery. However, reaching the correct conclusion will not always be enough. Players will have to respond to opposing arguments, select the appropriate answers, present evidence from Maomao’s notebook, and combine pieces of information to convince others that their theory is correct. Gathering more information will provide additional evidence to draw upon when attempting to crack each case.
KOEI TECMO will show more of The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother during a special livestream from its Tokyo Game Show 2026 stage on September 20. The presentation will feature Maomao voice actor Aoi Yuki, Jinshi voice actor Takeo Otsuka, and Guanyu voice actor Yohei Azakami.
The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother is currently in development for Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam, and is scheduled to launch in early 2027. The game will feature Japanese voice acting with English text.