IGN stated that First Contact was a quality game while unfavorably comparing it to King of Fighters R-2 or Samurai Shodown! 2.[2]GameSpot praised the quality of the title's graphics but similarly compared it unfavorably to King of Fighters R-2.[8]Hardcore Gaming 101 stated that the title was "among the best portable fighters ever made".[1]Nintendo Life called the Switch port "accessible and charming" while stating that there were better alternatives available for the system.[9]Nintendo World Report complimented the graphics but criticized the lack of extras compared to the other Neo Geo Pocket Color fighting games.[10]Hardcore Gamer wrote that the game "[...] plays like a dream still and while its graphics don’t hold up as well as the other NGPC games due to a lack of background activity, its core action does."[11]Siliconera called First Contact a "fun pocket-sized fighter".[12]