In Japan, "Game Machine" listed "Magical Drop" on their September 1, 1995 issue as being the tenth most-successful arcade game of the year. A review of the arcade version of the original game in "Next Generation" stated: ""Chain Reaction" is proving quite popular in Japan, despite the fact that this kind of game has been around now for at least five years". The reviewer scored the game two out of five stars, concluding that "it's not brilliant nor innovative, certainly not new, but it's fun and as addictive as sex after lunch... in a jester suit". "Mean Machines" gave the Saturn version an 84 out of 100, with the reviewers remarking that the game is addictive and offers numerous options, but is frustratingly difficult in single-player mode. They disagreed as to whether it is better or worse than its competitor "Baku Baku Animal".