GameSpy's Brian Altano and Brian Miggels named its ending as one of the worst ever, criticizing it for showing Bowser crying. Fellow GameSpy editor Mike Drucker called it "half-assed." GamesRadar commented that those who like this game may like "", which they gave a negative review to. They later suggested that it was an unpopular game, commenting that "five, maybe six people played the NES version of "Mario's Time Machine"". ABC Good Game called it "awful", and was "way too complicated for any school-aged youngster to understand." Nintendo of Canada included a sealed copy of the NES version as part of a charity auction along with several other sealed NES games. In the book "Video Games: A Guide for Savvy Parents", author David Sheff found the educational elements good, but criticized the gameplay.