Hirokazu Hamamura of "Famitsu" commended "Mischief Makers" gameplay, which balanced its poor character design. Other "Famitsu" reviewers admired Treasure's signature robot designs and were puzzled by the company's choice to use buttons instead of the 3D analog stick. "Nintendo Life" Jamie O'Neill praised the game's characters and disliked the controls. He compared the Calina character to the role of Shadow Mario in "Super Mario Sunshine". O'Neill wrote that the intricate controls were "the antithesis of a friendly, approachable, and intuitive platformer" because the game used every button on the controller (including the directional pad), though he felt that players who persevered through the difficult controls would find them "inventive and unique". He added that the complex controls allowed for experimentation that led to new and fun gameplay, and though the throwing enemies mechanic seemed to follow from "Gunstar Heroes", the Clanball platforming was unintuitive. John Harris of "Gamasutra" wrote that the game borrowed other elements from "Gunstar Heroes", as the games were similar in protagonists, collectible gems, and bosses. As the game took time to learn and understand, O'Neill left the reader to decide whether the game was "ultimately convoluted or bordering on sophistication and genius".