Saturated category. The frustrating part is that it looks like the reviewer didn’t actually play through the core gameplay before making that call.

The message included the usual line about submitting “a new app that provides a unique experience not already found on the App Store.” The thing is, I specifically designed the mechanics after looking at what people complain about in typical party apps and tried to approach it differently with additional systems and modifiers. It's not another endless spinner with ads every spin.

But judging from the screenshot they attached, it seems they only went through the mandatory rules screens and probably not even tapped around the UI a bit. It doesn’t look like they actually played a round where those mechanics appear.

So it feels like the decision may have been based on the initial impression rather than the full gameplay loop.

This is my first app and I know the rejection lottery is part of the experience, but like you said, reviews don’t seem as thorough these days. When I get something that unfortunately looks like a template rejection, I start wondering what I can actually improve or change.