Xiaolan Joins Every Player's Roster at Launch
The pre-registration campaign for The Apothecary Diaries: Palace Chronicles has been stacking rewards since it opened last year, and the 200,000-signup tier is the biggest yet. According to a 4Gamer report, hitting that number means Xiaolan — Maomao's loyal childhood friend and fellow servant in the rear palace — will be distributed to all players the moment the game goes live on G123.
Previous milestones already locked in 50 draw tickets at 50,000 sign-ups and 20 tea items at 100,000, so day-one players are walking into a decent starter kit before they even touch a mission.
What Is Palace Chronicles?
For anyone who hasn't been tracking the game side of The Apothecary Diaries, Palace Chronicles is a simulation title built for CTW's G123 browser platform — playable on PC and mobile without a dedicated app download. Players raise Maomao, advance her through palace ranks, and tackle mysteries pulled from the imperial court and the pleasure district.
The game features over 35 characters drawn from the anime adaptation, with the original Japanese voice cast returning. Aoi Yūki reprises her role as Maomao and Takeo Ōtsuka is back as Jinshi, both recording new dialogue for the game. A teaser PV released on May 22 showed off the game's art style and voiced cutscenes.
It's free-to-play with optional microtransactions — standard fare for the G123 catalog.
New Festival Maomao Visual
Alongside the 200,000 milestone, CTW unveiled a new illustration of Maomao in a festival-themed outfit. Players in Japan can grab a smartphone wallpaper version of the art through the game's official LINE account by entering the password "matsuri" (祭り, meaning "festival"). The wallpaper campaign runs until the game's official launch.
Looking Ahead
The Apothecary Diaries: Palace Chronicles still doesn't have a confirmed release date — CTW lists it as "TBD." Given that the teaser PV just dropped on May 22 and milestone rewards are still rolling in, a launch window announcement likely isn't far off.
The game arrives during a strong stretch for the franchise overall. The Apothecary Diaries anime, adapted from Natsu Hyūga's light novel series, has been one of the biggest breakout hits on Crunchyroll over the past two years, and Season 3 is on the horizon. Whether Palace Chronicles can translate that anime momentum into a browser game audience remains the open question — but 200,000 pre-registrations before the game even has a launch date is a solid start.
G123 is a browser-based platform, so international access shouldn't be a technical barrier, though no official English-language service has been confirmed yet. The game's G123 page does have an English version, which suggests CTW is at least considering a global rollout.