PixlBit

This game is so good. I can't believe this is the last 2D Metroid me got 

Haha, good one! Or should I say...BaD one 

(I'm a terrible person...but not a BaD person. Ack! I can't help myself!)

This is definitely more forgiving, though the ono-on-one nature of the battles has still led to a number of frustrating wipes. And it's super vague, of course, but I'm enjoying it so far. Being able to save anywhere allows for progress in tiny chunks, which is nice.

Those pandas crack me up. They're like giant toddlers (so yes, cleaning would be a nightmare)

Might be Drop Wizard...? That one made me think of Kirby but that was mostly the aesthetics. I could see it being similar to Bubble Bobble.

Once I get more experience with the series, I'd be interested in getting DQ Heroes. I know a big part of those games is familiarity and nostagia.

There are three games in the Slime series and Rocket Slime is the one in the middle. It's the only one that ever made it out of Japan 

Hot eats, cool treats!

I definitely want to get DQ VII on the 3DS before it becomes scarce but I'm not sure about VIII. I have a copy for the PS2. I guess the portability would be nice...

Shooters definitely lend themselves well to co-op, and I've enjoyed quite a few like that. It is nice, though, when another genre makes a strong appearance, like with Diablo III. Cloudberry Kingdom was a really fun, zany co-op platformer. And, naturally, I'm blanking on other examples now lol