 James Stansfield of the entertainment website Den of Geek ranks "Spectrum Strikes Back" the tenth-best episode of "Captain Scarlet", deeming it memorable for introducing the Mysteron Gun and Detector ("though both were seldom seen again") as well as "some unintentional hilarity with the nicknames used by the Spectrum agents" (Scarlet, Blue and White use the undercover aliases "Mr Panther", "Mr Bear" and "Mr Tiger").He questions the game reserve's lack of security as well as the purpose of Indigo, noting that despite being a Spectrum captain the character is given the "humiliating task of being a waiter to those gathered at the base".In a review for the publication "Andersonic", Vincent Law names this episode "one of the most convoluted and inconsistent" of "Captain Scarlet", criticising aspects such as the nature of the hunting lodge