Rushed production, comedic level design, and ostensibly unfleshed character writing, yet I still rate this game. Why? Because it retains the unfettered swag of its characters AND introduces Nero. Nero is an interesting character to add, and he flourishes really well. He's fun to play with, he's fun to watch, and he's fun to listen to. His writing is solid and adds a fresh and distinct voice to the franchise. The game design is odd, specifically with how Dante/Nero works. You start with Nero, who's a completely fresh face, and just as you start to get used to him, the game switches to Dante, which is fine and all because "oooo Dante I like Dante." Then you start getting used to his playstyle, and when you're JUST getting slid into his style, the game AGAIN pulls you out and switches you with Nero. LIKE OMFG GIVE ME SOME TIME. The backtracking in the second half is funny, but when the cinematics hit ooooooooh THEY HIT. With one step, you can go from a snowy castle to a rainforest and fight the same three elemental bosses twice because why not, with the final one being this bigass statue. It's the most imposing DMC title that isn't DMC 5. The actual game is easy enough to breeze through, but it's the little tidbits of character interaction or whatever sprinkled throughout that make this so enjoyable, like basically every time Dante and Dante 2, I mean Nero, encounter each other, or when Nero goes "KYRIEEEEE" for the millionth time, and when the big plot twist was that the skimpy snow baddie Gloria was actually Trish the whole time (what was even the point, Capcom?). I might be reaching with this take, but DMC4 is by far the only title that feels like it has a tinge of emotionality to it. Kyrie's brother's final moments or Nero's textbook determination to save his damsel in distress are surprisingly fun to watch and engage with. The ending is cute, but I wish Kyrie was an actual character because they really nailed her design. That's like the only big complaint I have. 8.5/10