An interview between developers of Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon and Eurogamer Portugal has revealed some interesting details about new and old features in the games. The following Google Translate reveals the following:

I noticed that they added a mini-game of Surf in which in the end, by our performance, we are assigned a score. Is there any reward for completing this activity?

Kazumasa Iwao: As you saw, in Mantine Surf you can use various techniques to obtain high scores. At the end you get points and you can use them to pay the Move Tutor, who can teach your Pokémon different moves that they could not learn in Pokémon Sun & Moon. You can also exchange points for useful items. There are several places where you can do the Mantine Surf, namely in areas that connect the two islands. We want players to use this activity to help them progress through the story.

This confirms the presence of Move Tutors, and also gives Mantine Surfing a use – a way to earn points for items and special moves to teach Pokémon they can’t normally learn in Pokémon Sun and Moon.

Improvements can be expected in the Festival Plaza and Poké Pelago areas as well:

Have changes been made to the Festival Plaza? I think the space is a bit confusing and did not realize its purpose. I know it was possible to train Pokémon, but I think the Poké Pelago was an easier and more efficient system.

Shigeru Ohmori: The Festival Plaza is an important part of the world we created, so it’s still there. However, we added some features like Alola Photoclub, where you can take photos and save them and/or share them with other players. The basis for this is the Plaza Festival. There is another novelty in this area, but we can not talk about it right now. We can only say that it is related to the combat system of previous games. As for Poké Pelago, we’re glad to say you like it. There have been some changes this time to make it even easier to evolve your Pokémon there. Let’s hope you like the changes.

“We can not talk about it right now” suggests either they want to reveal it closer to release, or keep it as a surprise for players. What are your hopes for these improvements and the new area?

Edited by colours and Radiating.