the game received positive reviews from game sites earning an 82 out of 100 in metacritic. video game publications noted it had several improvements over the original "zone of the enders" with gamespot calling it "what the original zone of the enders should have been." this was due to the faster combat, the increase of jehuty's abilities and the variety of the enemy number. a reviewer from "electronic gaming monthly" called it "the best game i've played since "metroid prime"" praising jehuty's fast movements and its challenging difficulty. however, the gameplay also attracted criticism with gamespy finding it underdeveloped and having several scripted boss battles. gamerevolution agreed on simplistic gameplay core referring to it as a "fairly straightforward shooter with no customization and little ship development." the game's short length was also a common subject of criticism. critics offered different opinions regarding the replay value. while eurogamer was disappointed with its short length and expected a future sequel to solve this problem, gamespot believed it was worth replaying due to its combat and extra content. in the japan game awards from 2002, "the 2nd runner" received the "award for excellence."