The game received further reviews and general praise upon its release to the Virtual Console in 2009. Website Nintendo Life praised the game's controls for being smooth and responsive, especially for such an old game. The review appreciated its graphics, especially in its sharpness and usage of color; it further lauded the game's upbeat sound that complements the game nicely, the varied level designs and gameplay elements such as the need to answer questions from some bosses, and its overall execution. It said that the game is one of the better Master System titles that still plays good today. IGN called "Wonder Boy in Monster Land" one of the best games on the Master System, mainly because of its unique balance of platforming and RPG elements, which the reviewer calls "a winning formula". It said that the game is an improvement over its "Adventure Island"-like predecessor, replacing the "fruit gauge" with an hourglass timer while retaining other elements such as finding invisible items and discovering secret areas. The review mentioned that the game should appeal to fans from the days of 8-bit and the Master System.