First The Apothecary Diaries Online Game Announced

The first online game for The Apothecary Diaries has been announced, with pre-registrations open now. It will be a browser-based simulation game where you raise Maomao, collect and grow medicinal plants, and work together with other players to create medicine. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

You’ll be able to play the game on G123. The official title is The Apothecary Diaries: Palace Chronicles. While the description for the game only states that you can raise Maomao, a promotional image claims you can “solve cases with your chosen character,” implying either different versions of Maomao to collect or different characters who’ll appear in the game later. You can bond with characters like Jinshi, as well as solve cases within the palace and pleasure district.

Pre-registration bonuses cap out at 200,000 sign-ups. At 50,000, everyone will receive 50 Draw Tickets. At 100,000, everyone will receive 20 Tea Items. Finally, at 200,000, everyone will receive Xiaolan for free.

The Apothecary Diaries is a light novel series that started serialization in 2011. It stars Maomao, a young girl who was working in an apothecary before she became an indentured servant at the Imperial Palace. Though she wanted to keep her head low, she ended up using her apothecary knowledge to solve the mystery behind an illness plaguing newborns and concubines. This caught the attention of Jinshi, a eunuch. She then goes on to solve various other mysteries in the court.

The Apothecary Diaries: Palace Chronicles is open for pre-registration, and it’ll be available on browsers. The official G123 page for the game does not have a release window yet. You can watch The Apothecary Diaries on streaming services like Crunchyroll. J-Novel Club licensed the English version of the light novel.