"gamepro" gave the game a mostly positive review, commenting that "first-person games like "zero tolerance" really put pressure on a system's processor, but accolade has done a good job here: the anxiety caused by an adversary careening around a corner or the twitching body of a gunned-down spider is severe." they additionally praised the large and labyrinthine levels, cooperative multiplayer ability, and limited but effective sound effects, though they criticized a few elements such as how slowly the player character turns. the four reviewers of "electronic gaming monthly" had varying reactions to "zero tolerance", but generally agreed that it was an effective substitute for "wolfenstein 3d" and "doom" on the genesis. they scored it a 7.5 out of 10.