The game has been perceived very positively in the years following its initial release. "GameDaily" named it alongside the other Game Boy "Final Fantasy" titles as definitive games for the system, describing it as providing "hours of role-playing excitement, whether you were waiting in a dentist's office or on the way to Grandma's house." The sentiment was shared by gaming magazine "Pocket Games", which ranked the titles together 8th out of the Top 50 games for the Game Boy, stating "every game in the series is a sprawling classic with well-written scripts and solid characters." "Kotaku" praised the original release of the game as a "really great action-RPG". "1UP.com" called the game ambitious for its time, writing that it represented an evolution of the overhead perspective action adventure genre. They also rated the game as "Worth It!" in terms of buying and enjoying the original game in 2007, and noted it as the origins of the Mana series' many unique gameplay features. "GamesRadar" named it the 13th best Game Boy game ever made, noting that its interesting leveling system and a large number of collectible items made up for a poor English translation. "Game Informer" also praised the game's leveling system, though it did call it a "simplistic" title in comparison to its sequels.