The Apothecary Diaries game launches on 18 March 2027
The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother launches on 18 March 2027 with a new mystery, three original characters and playable Jinshi and Maomao the cat.
The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother will launch on 18 March 2027, giving Maomao her first home-console mystery to solve. Koei Tecmo's official site confirms the game is coming to Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam, with an original story conceived by series creator Hyuganatsu.1
The game follows Maomao soon after she begins working in the rear palace. A run of strange incidents known as the Five Mysteries — including a faceless eunuch, a wailing storehouse and clothes that suddenly turn red — draws her into an investigation for Jinshi. Later, a second wave of incidents called the Five Curses spreads through the capital, while a masked figure claiming to be the imperial younger brother stirs up the city.1
A new mystery for Maomao
The official announcement introduces three original characters: Guanyu, a travelling actor Maomao meets during a visit home; Yanxi, a senior official in the Bureau of Ceremonies; and Chenhan, an older customer at the Verdigris House. The official anime account also confirms that players can control Jinshi and Maomao the cat, alongside Maomao herself.2
Gameplay centres on evidence gathering, medicine-making and deduction. Players collect clues, prepare medicines through a minigame, use those medicines to support cases and then present the evidence needed to expose each mystery. Koei Tecmo's site also shows investigation, evidence collection and deduction as the core loop.1
The announcement arrived with a second promotional video and opened physical pre-orders in Japan. The game's release timing will place it alongside the anime's third season, but this is a completely new story rather than a retelling of the television series.23
Our opinion
A release date would be useful news on its own, but the stronger hook is the decision to build a fresh mystery around Maomao's investigative strengths. The playable cat, medicine systems and evidence-led deductions sound like sensible extensions of the character rather than a generic licensed adventure. The official material still leaves plenty of questions around the masked imperial younger brother, which is exactly where a mystery game should leave us before launch.