CTW Explains the World of The Apothecary Diaries: Palace Chronicles
The Apothecary Diaries: Palace Chronicles developer CTW explained in an interview with Anime Corner how they transformed the series' world into a game space. The team stated that while developing this project, they kept not only the visuals but also the sense of curiosity that Maomao brings to the story at the forefront. It was emphasized that the game aims to offer fans a palace-set experience while preserving the atmosphere of the original series.
The Apothecary Diaries is based on a light novel series by Natsu Hyuuga that began publication on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō platform in 2011. Set within the inner world of the imperial palace, the story follows young apothecary Maomao as she solves mysterious incidents. The series gained global recognition with its manga adaptation that began in 2017 and its anime adaptation that aired in 2023-2024. In particular, the anime was highly praised by fans for its narrative blending detective fiction with palace life and its character-driven story.
Palace Chronicles can be played on CTW's browser-based game platform G123. Players accompany Maomao on her tasks by collecting evidence in the palace and piecing together clues from events. In the interview, the CTW team stated that they stayed faithful to the original production in character designs and color palette to keep the game's visual language close to the anime. It was also noted that they tried to reflect the character dynamics of the series exactly in the dialogues. This approach aims to enable fans to quickly adapt to the universe they already know.
Licensed anime games have long been criticized for offering fans simple experiences that merely shuffle characters around. CTW's G123 model, however, reaches a different user base with its download-free browser games. In a narrative-driven series like The Apothecary Diaries, this kind of interactive adaptation could make the viewer an active part of the story. Moreover, the second season of the anime adaptation, which began airing in 2025, shows that the universe continues to expand. The game is also positioned as an important part of this growing universe.
The interview brought to light for the first time some of the creative decisions made during the world design process of Palace Chronicles. Fans are now curious about which periods of the series the new chapters and characters to be added to the game will draw from. Whether CTW will organize events tied to the new season of the anime will also become clear in the coming period. These developments show that the universe of The Apothecary Diaries will continue to expand not only on screen but also in the world of digital gaming.
