The Nintendo DS version marked the first first-person shooter released on the platform since Metroid Prime Hunters earlier that year.

The home console version received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the humour but found the gameplay to be simplistic and repetitive.

[3] Completed levels can be revisited in a free play mode, where the player can find additional items and collectibles.

[3] The player can interact with the environment, performing actions similar to how the Force operates in the Lego Star Wars games.

[8][9] The exact attack assigned to the B button is determined by which mask the player is wearing and varies from "tight, focused laser beams to slow, exploding mortar rounds".

The decision was made early on to not follow the official Bionicle story, as ignoring it would allow more flexibility in game development and enemy variety.

[12] According to director Jon Burton, the home console version of the game was initially planned to be a first-person shooter.

In order to bring Bionicle Heroes down to an acceptable "E" or "E10+" rating, the decision was made to convert the game into a third-person shooter.

The DS version marked the first first-person shooter game released on the platform since Metroid Prime Hunters earlier the same year.

[18] Alex Navarro of GameSpot noted similarities to the Lego Star Wars games in terms of visual presentation and charm.

[29] While the game's humour and visual presentation received praise, critics felt the gameplay was too repetitive and simplistic.

[1][2][37][31][36] Critics regarded the Wii version as an inferior port, lambasting its poor implementation of motion controls.

[37] GameSpot was sharply critical of the gameplay, deeming it a "truly mind-numbing, unsatisfying experience", although the site did offer praise for the game's humour.

[2] Kristan Reed of Eurogamer praised the humour and accessibility to younger gamers, but felt Bionicle Heroes was too easy and too similar on the whole to Lego Star Wars; he recommended it only to fans of Lego Star Wars and younger gamers.

[36] IGN reviewer Mark Bozon called it "one heck of a licensed game", offering praise to the level design, visuals, and strong appeal to younger gamers.

[5][6][35] Lucas Thomas of IGN called it "a satisfying shooter experience that fans of the genre shouldn't ignore".

Thomas said it is "worthy of a place in every Samus Aran fan's library" and praised its graphics, enemy design, and offline multiplayer functionality.

[5] In his review, Frank Provo of GameSpot said that, with exception of its lack of online multiplayer, Bionicle Heroes "delivers everything else that you could want in a first-person shooter".

[6] Pocket Gamer reviewer Mark Walbank praised the game's progression system as "beautifully structured".

Critics noted its impressive number of on-screen enemies and explosions, graphics, and its fast-paced gameplay, comparing it favorably to the Contra series.

[9][8] Lucas Thomas of IGN praised is as a "high octane experience like you'd never expect from a game based on plastic building blocks" and "an impressive title in both graphical presentation and sound design".

[9] Frank Provo of GameSpot said the game "rekindles loving memories of such classics as Ikari Warriors or the top-down levels in Contra III".

However, Provo felt it bore only a "tenuous and mostly cosmetic" tie to Bionicle, which might disappoint some fans expecting a more faithful adaption.

[39] Jon Mundy of Pocket Gamer criticized the mobile phone version of the game, calling it "dull and unimaginative".