This is not a crash or a visual glitch. It is a logic trap that blocks all progress, and Nintendo has acknowledged it publicly.

The Exact Trigger Sequence

Nintendo's customer support account outlined a three-step sequence that causes the lockup. All three conditions must occur in order for the bug to fire:

1. You start researching the Bewilder Bird too early. Before the game has delivered Mr. E's proper Index tutorial, you begin an investigation of the Bewilder Bird (also called the Bird of Paradise).
2. You finish without a major discovery. You end that specific research session on the Bewilder Bird without uncovering a "major discovery"—the significant star-earning breakthroughs the game tracks for each creature.
3. You reach the mandatory Index tutorial event. The Index tutorial is a forced scene that triggers after you clear four chapters. If the previous two conditions are already baked into your save file, the tutorial screen opens and locks in place.

Crucially, the bug acts like a time bomb. You can perform the early, discovery-less Bewilder Bird research and then play for hours with no sign of trouble. The game only breaks when you later hit the post-Chapter 4 tutorial checkpoint.

The One Rule to Stay Safe

The workaround is straightforward but demands discipline from completionist players. Do not begin investigating the Bewilder Bird until you have completed Mr. E's Index tutorial. That tutorial is a fixed story event that happens after you finish four chapters.

In practice, focus on progressing through the main story for the first four chapters. You can freely document other creatures in the Index during those early hours. Just leave the Bewilder Bird alone until Mr. E officially teaches you how the encyclopedia works. After that, every creature in the game is safe to research.

What to Do If You Are Already Stuck

If you have already triggered the bug and are staring at a frozen Index screen, the only reliable fix reported by players is to load an earlier save from before you made the initial Bewilder Bird investigation. Nintendo has not released a patch yet, and no in-game workaround exists to force-close the broken menu.

Nintendo has apologized to players and confirmed that an update is in development, but has not provided a release timeline. For now, prevention is the only sure protection.

This is not a crash or a visual glitch. It is a logic trap that blocks all progress, and Nintendo has acknowledged it publicly.

The Exact Trigger Sequence

Nintendo's customer support account outlined a three-step sequence that causes the lockup. All three conditions must occur in order for the bug to fire:

1. You start researching the Bewilder Bird too early. Before the game has delivered Mr. E's proper Index tutorial, you begin an investigation of the Bewilder Bird (also called the Bird of Paradise).
2. You finish without a major discovery. You end that specific research session on the Bewilder Bird without uncovering a "major discovery"—the significant star-earning breakthroughs the game tracks for each creature.
3. You reach the mandatory Index tutorial event. The Index tutorial is a forced scene that triggers after you clear four chapters. If the previous two conditions are already baked into your save file, the tutorial screen opens and locks in place.

Crucially, the bug acts like a time bomb. You can perform the early, discovery-less Bewilder Bird research and then play for hours with no sign of trouble. The game only breaks when you later hit the post-Chapter 4 tutorial checkpoint.

The One Rule to Stay Safe

The workaround is straightforward but demands discipline from completionist players. Do not begin investigating the Bewilder Bird until you have completed Mr. E's Index tutorial. That tutorial is a fixed story event that happens after you finish four chapters.

In practice, focus on progressing through the main story for the first four chapters. You can freely document other creatures in the Index during those early hours. Just leave the Bewilder Bird alone until Mr. E officially teaches you how the encyclopedia works. After that, every creature in the game is safe to research.

What to Do If You Are Already Stuck

If you have already triggered the bug and are staring at a frozen Index screen, the only reliable fix reported by players is to load an earlier save from before you made the initial Bewilder Bird investigation. Nintendo has not released a patch yet, and no in-game workaround exists to force-close the broken menu.

Nintendo has apologized to players and confirmed that an update is in development, but has not provided a release timeline. For now, prevention is the only sure protection.