Recently made a close friend with similar tastes in my uni dnd group and I remembered I have retroarch. Anyone knows fun 2 player retro games we can try? Fantasy and rpg games especially. Thank you!

With the tag of multiplayer retro fantasy, the first game that came to mind was gauntlet legends. Playing it co-op was a mind-blowing experience for my younger self.

Well, it's fantasy (jrpg) and a real classic co-op - secret of mana for snes:
https://www.co-optimus.com/Editorial/1002/co-op-classics-secret-of-mana.html
https://www.nintendojo.com/features/columns/retro-scope/retro-scope-secret-of-mana

If you're open to expanding the horizons a bit, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is a lot of fun. But it is a lot of mayhem and explosions and such. If you're familiar with Borderlands, it's that with DnD sauce.

You might try Barony. There's for sure a learning curve, but it gives those retro arcade cabinet vides with the chunky 3d perspective and fast paced play style. Kind of like dnd if you weren't always pausing to check rules and you had a DM who hates you

How retro do you wanna go?

Divinity Original Sin, and the sequel, are older and both excellent

Plus one for this suggestion. The Divinity games are some of the best co-op games ever made.

I believe you can also play Baldur's Gate 3 co-op as well (same developer for anyone who didn't know).

Can we stop calling 12-year-old games "retro"?

Yes but Only for the people who people who don't consider 12 year old games retro.

Most of the Tales series. Phantasia, Destiny, Eternia, Symphonia, etc.

The funny thing is how the word for the newly produced items imitating older styles has come to mean "older" when speaking of games.

If we look at the description for retro it's original meaning is something new imitating an older style:

Compare to the word vintage that means old:

I see the word retro used for "old" spread outside of gaming nowadays too, I wonder what we will use to describe a new production imitating an older style in the future. :)

Maybe Terraria?

Titan Quest is not RetroArch and more Action than RPG but it was a fun Diablo-like.

I was about to ask how it compares to the OG Gauntlet 4 person coop arcade.... Because that was peak if it were not for the quarter drain.

Then I processed that ("younger self" + Gauntlet Legends) = I'm an old man. I'll go page my nurse to wipe my but now. Go on about your business kids.

Ooh I love how chaotic it looks. Appreciate it!

I saw this one mentioned online, but how far into the story does second character option become available if I may ask?

If you want something emulated, Golden Axe or Gauntlet Dark Legacy for action or Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance for action RPG.

Shouldn't take more than 20 minutes or so depending on how fast you are.

Thanks! (I must acquire the context myself)