


It’s a reoccurring shame there’s no way to indicate to a Pokemon game that you know what you’re doing and don’t need to learn how to throw a Poke Ball for the fifteenth time. That said, there are a lot of new things to learn about in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon even for long-time Pokemon players, and these tutorials never felt too long or overbearing. Learning how to surf and perform tricks on a Mantine was a cinch, and the new Battle Agency at the Festival Plaza (yes, the somewhat controversial online interaction tool is back) took no time to learn and get into.

Mantine Surf lets you earn Beach Points (BP), also known as and entirely interchangeable with Battle Points, which can be traded in for rare held items and other desirables. Usually, you earn about 1 BP from each battle won, but I was reliably earning 10 BP every time I played a five-minute mini-game with Mantine Surf.
