 In retrospective coverage, both Kurt Kalata of "Hardcore Gaming 101" and E. Kozo of "Hardcore Gamer" lauded "Sapphire" as one of the greatest PC Engine shoot 'em ups.Kalata described it as "the ultimate PC Engine shooter...a showpiece for what the system could do" while Kozo called it "one of the best shooters ever made".In his review, Kalata found the gameplay mediocre and non-innovative but said the strengths lied in the game's graphics and sounds.