"Nintendo Life" O'Neill thought the five world bosses were among Treasure's best (in particular, the transforming "Cerberus Alpha" boss), but found the mid-level bosses uninteresting. Peter Bartholow of "GameSpot" and "Electronic Gaming Monthly" reviewers felt similarly. Sushi-X of "Electronic Gaming Monthly" added that the technique of looking for a boss's weak spot was similar to "Metroid". "Famitsu" reviewers praised how the game encouraged players to experiment with the basic "grab, throw, and shake" gameplay. They also appreciated the cadence of "Mischief Makers" short levels. O'Neill ("Nintendo Life") thought the game had great variety in gameplay mechanics (from maze puzzles to outrunning lava), graphics (from bosses that scale back the screen to levels with screen rotation), and audio (from upbeat quirk to scary), and added that he was surprised to hear critics speak against the "unique, varied, and dramatic" sound. "GamePro" also applauded the varied stage objectives, and said the "whimsical" music and sound effects worked perfectly with each stage, though the reviewer found the voice acting overly cutesy. Scott McCall of "AllGame" too appreciated the sound, from the voice to the "almost indescribable" music. "Gamasutra" John Harris noted its "tremendous variety" in gameplayfrom a "Track & Field" remake to outrunning a missile barrageas rare for 2D platformers, and commented that "it is obvious that Treasure poured their hearts into this game".