I've thought about this question for a little while. I guess PS1 Klonoa DtP was the reason I stopped heavily ignoring games with cute facades. Not to say DtP was immensely cute but I had been playing Unreal Tournament and other aggressive games since forever that in order to give DtP a chance I had to jump across my game preference spectrum.
DtP essentially was the tipping point that broke down barriers and my immediate apprehension to playing certain games. Before DtP I really only ever dedicated a my gaming to fast paced games; DtP showed me things can slow down a lot and still be enjoyable. DtP on the PS1 also demonstrated that cute wasn't life threatening.
Subsequently the Klonoa series is probably why I gave MLP:FiM more of a chance when my bro recommended it shortly after launch. And I would have never given New Super Lucky's Tale a chance without having jumped my preference spectrum beforehand.
I still wince when the cute meter is high but I survive.