IGN gave Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth 5.0 out of 10 overall stating the gameplay was "okay, but has little variety and little innovation".[9] Nintendo Power gave 7.2/10: "This game is as simple as it gets. If you can see it on the screen, you can shoot it, or it can shoot you. Blast, dodge, collect power-ups. That's it".[22]
W. MacDonald of Hard Drive ranked Star Soldier #96 in its ranking of every N64 game, saying "It’s okay to not always want to dodge and weave your way through a bullet hell. Once in a while, it’s nice to hold down one button and wave an analog stick around for hours. Crack a cold one, do practically nothing, and still feel like you’re absolutely crushing."[23]
^Andy; Todd; Dan; Paul; Scott (December 1998). "Now Playing - Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth (N64)". Nintendo Power. No. 115.
Nintendo of America. p. 128.
^
abRichter, Thomas; Fischer, Frank (September 1998). "64 Power Reviews: Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth - Das erste vertikal scrollende Shoot'em-Up für das N64 ist da! Hat sich das Warten gelohnt?". 64 Power (in German). No. 14. LiveEmotion Verlag. pp. 58–59.
^Lips (July 1998). "Total 64 Review: Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth - Wham bam thank you mam, hot blasting action on the N64 made just the way your dad likes it!". Total 64. No. 19. Rapide Publishing. pp. 56–57.