 "Dark Arena" received "mixed or average reviews" according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.The mixed reaction was primarily due to poor enemy AI and uninspired level design, but the game was also praised for having many nice touches often not included in pseudo-3D FPS, such as a sniper rifle with zoom functions and a guided missile.Many people regarded it as a Doom clone, as it had similar gameplay and level designers were recruited from the Doom modding community.