In Issue 38 of Moves, game designer Eric Goldberg commented, "The design work on combat is the heart of Dark December, and it makes a potentially mediocre game a good game." Goldberg concluded, "One benefit of the proliferation of Bulge games is that each succeeding product must be at least above average to attract a decent market share. If we assume that conflict simulations give insight into the history, then Dark December gives the best overview of the [Battle of the Bulge]."
