This is a refined implementation of an idea I have not seen before in this jam! It would be one thing to only have the opponents chasing you--I think there are a lot of games where you play as a "goal" that is being pursued--but this game is very unique in that some of the "players" are still on your side. That said, the game is still pretty hard. I wonder what abilities the flag could have in addition to running and jumping? It might be cool if there was an enemy flag that you, as another flag, could interact with in a unique way. Super cool and polished game!
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Game basically as a Pac-Man platformer (which it kind of was) without the collectibles. It was already fun in the prototype with only enemy AIs, but I'm glad we had the time to implement the allies. I think it turns the game into a reactive action platformer RTS sort of.
A lot of mechanics were planned for the flag, such as collectibles that spawned more allies, but were left on the cutting room floor, because I felt the game should be more about you being a neutral party in a chaotic environment, where you yourself aren't a hero or anything, but you're just placed in the middle of an interactive battlefield and you get to experience the carnage first hand without being directly involved. The flag is never supposed to help, it just sits there. You're prey, not predator. The world just reacts to your presence, which is something that I don't think is common in games. Having an enemy flag that does its own thing could be the next step towards this type of feel, with yet another variable that makes the world feel more lively.
Thanks for the insightful comment!