""GameFan"s four reviewers scored it 99%, 91%, 92%, and 95%, referring to it as "one of the best action games ever" and "the king of action/platform games".Jason Weitzner of "GameFan" also gave a positive outlook to the game in their June 1999 issue, praising the graphics and level design, stating that "Magician Lord still remains one of the best 2D games ever".