Fans will discover “that cure of life, shall whisper of poison” in a story under the supervision of the series author Hyuganatsu!
Hertfordshire, 9th September 2026 – Today, KOEI TECMO Europe and developer Gust, in collaboration with TOHO Co, Ltd., announced The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother, the first-ever console game adaptation of the popular franchise The Apothecary Diaries. Alongside Maomao and other iconic characters, fans will discover a new exclusive story and characters conceptualised by series author Hyuganatsu. The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother is currently in development and set to release early 2027 on Nintendo Switch™ 2, Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®5, and PC Steam®.
In The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother, players follow Maomao, a pleasure-district apothecary who now works in the rear palace. She finds herself investigating the Five Mysteries and Five Curses, two chains of strange phenomena and conspiracies causing chaos throughout the rear palace, the pleasure district, and streets of the capital. During her investigation, she stumbles upon the would-be-suspect, a masked man calling himself the “imperial younger brother”. As rumours swirl, Maomao is roped into an investigation that will lead her to uncover a shocking secret that could destroy the imperial court.
To conduct their investigation, players will follow Maomao and will be joined by familiar figures such as Jinshi, the influential eunuch of the rear palace, as well as new characters such as Guanyu, a travelling actor whose fame is growing in the capital. To uncover the truth behind the Five Curses and the identity of the “imperial younger brother”, fans will need to explore, gather evidence, and organise the information at their disposal to make deductions, while also gathering apothecary ingredients to concoct medicines to resolve the incident.
During the investigation phase, players will not only be able to explore the scene but also the surrounding city and the rear palace to find clues or interview witnesses. By venturing outside the city, Maomao will be able to gather the ingredients needed to concoct medicines that can serve as evidence or enable her to help her friends. Once the players have gathered enough information and evidence, they will be able to review them in the deduction phase. During the deduction phase, Maomao will review clues and succinctly summarize the facts to help her unravel the mystery and present her theory.
However, simply presenting deductions will not always be enough, and fans will need to be able to present solid proof as the other party argues back. They will need to carefully select their answers by reviewing the information, present the relevant evidence by looking into Maomao’s notebook, or combine information together to convince the other party. The more information players gather, the more evidence they will be able to produce, helping them to solve the case.
The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother is currently in development and is scheduled for release in early 2027 on Nintendo Switch™ 2, Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®5, and PC Steam®. The game will include Japanese voices with English text.
ABOUT KOEI TECMO EUROPE LTD.
KOEI TECMO EUROPE LTD. is a publisher of interactive entertainment software for current generation consoles, handhelds and digital download content based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, UK. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of KOEI TECMO HOLDINGS CO., LTD., headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. KOEI TECMO’s best known for their signature ‘one versus thousands’ Warrior’s series, the fan-favourite NINJA GAIDEN and fighting entertainment title DEAD OR ALIVE. Through collaboration with strong existing franchises, such as A.O.T. Wings of Freedom (Attack on Titan), has brought fan-favourite shows to life in video game form. The company’s desire for innovation and diversity has seen the creation of the critically acclaimed dark-samurai action title Nioh, which takes on new and unique gameplay styles. The company’s acquisition of Gust, developer of a variety of heart-warming titles, has seen their flagship Atelier series span generations of consoles and fans alike. More information about KOEI TECMO EUROPE LTD. and its products can be found at www.koeitecmoeurope.com
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