The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother Launches March 18, 2027 on PS5, Switch 2, Switch, and PC
Publisher Koei Tecmo and developer Gust have officially announced that the mystery-solving adventure game The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother will launch worldwide on March 18, 2027 for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.
An Original Story Unraveling the Five Mysteries and Five Curses
Serving as the first console and PC adaptation of the hit light novel, manga, and anime franchise created by Natsu Hyūga (Hyuganatsu), The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother features a brand-new storyline set across the imperial rear palace, the pleasure district, and the streets of the capital. The narrative begins shortly after pleasure district apothecary Maomao starts working as a maidservant in the inner court, where unexplained incidents known as the "Five Mysteries" unsettle the consorts: a faceless eunuch, a storehouse that wails every night, and garments that suddenly turn deep crimson.
Tasked by Rear Palace overseer Jinshi with investigating these occurrences, Maomao relies on her herbal expertise and deductive skills to uncover the truth. Following the suppression of the Shi clan's rebellion, however, a second wave of strange phenomena called the "Five Curses" strikes the castle town. At the center of the turmoil stands a masked vigilante claiming to be the "imperial younger brother," an impostor whom Jinshi insists is not himself.
Playable Jinshi, Maomao the Cat, and Apothecary Crafting
Alongside the release date announcement, Koei Tecmo shared a new gameplay trailer highlighting the core investigation loop built by Gust. Players explore palace grounds and town districts to gather medicinal herbs, compound remedies through an apothecary crafting minigame (which includes an automated synthesis option for faster progression), interview witnesses, and connect clues inside Maomao's notebook. Presenting the right evidence during questioning is vital: incorrect deductions lower Maomao's credibility with key witnesses and can lead investigations into a dead end.
While human Maomao remains the central protagonist, players will also switch to two additional playable perspectives during specific segments. Taking control of Jinshi allows players to leverage his high court status to extract testimony from officials who would never speak openly to a servant. Meanwhile, playing as Maomao (Cat) lets players access feline-only pathways, climb across palace rooftops, eavesdrop on private conversations, and retrieve physical evidence out of human reach.
The story also introduces new characters to the court and capital, including Yanxi (voiced in Japanese by Yumi Uchiyama), a senior official in the Bureau of Court Etiquette who performs private divinations for the consorts, Chenhan (voiced by Takahiro Miyamoto), a gentle regular at the Verdigris House who struggles to defend himself when falsely accused, and traveling actor Guanyu.
Physical Editions, Switch 2 Game-Key Card, and Early Purchase Bonus
Joining the 2027 video game release calendar in mid-March, The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother will receive both physical and digital releases on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 in North America and Europe, while the standard Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam) versions will be available digitally in Western territories (with a physical Nintendo Switch edition also releasing in Japan). Koei Tecmo confirmed that the physical Nintendo Switch 2 package will ship on a game-key card.
In addition to the Standard Edition, a Digital Deluxe Edition will bundle the base game with the Maomao and Jinshi Formal Costume Pack, the Maomao Fantasy Costume Pack, and the Feline Fashion Accessory Pack. Players who purchase any physical or digital edition before March 31, 2027 will also receive the Apothecary's Starter Kit and Modest Accessory Pack as an early purchase bonus.
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My Perspective
Handing The Apothecary Diaries to Gust feels like a natural match given the studio's decades of experience designing herbal gathering and alchemy loops for the Atelier franchise. Combining hands-on medicine crafting with high-stakes deduction where wrong answers actively hurt your credibility gives Maomao's investigations real mechanical weight. Adding playable segments as Jinshi and Maomao the Cat is a clever touch that breaks up the pacing and makes full use of the rear palace's social hierarchy and hidden corners.
Based on the outskirts of New York City, Chaya 'Chayane' spent five years studying software engineering in Montreal before returning to her home state. A Full-Stack developer and Deep Learning AI architecture researcher, she explores neural networks and algorithmic optimization while engineering data pipelines for Retrocharting and Gamescharting alongside Grimtag. A gamer for over 20 years and an avid collector of Nintendo history and The Legend of Zelda, she explored World of Warcraft's Azeroth before bringing her deep technical background to video game analysis.
