The NES version was much more negatively received. A reviewer from German magazine Power Play rated the NES version at 39% and wondered why Quaid is so stupid, trying to get rid of every bad guy on the right path and lure them into dark alleys only to offer a boring fight. He commented that these sequences should not have been programmed at all, and that a lot of parts seem like a graphically strong, stripped-down Double Dragon.
The NES version was criticized for its poor design choices, with a reviewer from German magazine Power Play stating that Quaid's actions seemed illogical and led to uninteresting battles. The critic suggested that these sequences should not have been programmed and that the game suffered from parts that were overly simplistic compared to other versions.