This is very underrated. The level Design is a big step up from rush and the bosses have gotten way better too. It's a shame it will forever live in the shadows of the original sonic rush
just because people don't like the boats. The boat driving is not even bad. Most people over react to it. Theres even multiple ships so you won't be doing the same mini game each time you want to discover a new island. It's also very easy to find the island. Just look at the darker spots on the map. The boat aspect of the game is so well thought out and deserves more credit. Another complaint I heard is that you need to replay levels to farm materials. And I don't see how thats a bad thing. It's a sonic game. These are designed around the idea of replaying until you've mastered them. And guess what? the better the rank the more materials. In a recent play through I only had to replay stages 3 times. Because I would get the S rank most of the time. It doesn't happen often but I actually like the material farming. It encourages you to replay the levels and get better at the game.