It does not matter if something feels like DnD when you do not know what DnD feels like. 4e was my first DnD, my first ttrpg. Let's go back 10+ years, to see me, sitting on my computer playing WoW, clutching my Magic cards, thinking, "Do I really want to play a game as nerdy as DnD?". I hope you see the irony, if not, maybe you've ascended to a plane where you do not see labels like "nerd".
Regardless of what plane you are on, I am glad that I choose to play that game of 4e with my friends. I rolled up a Ranger that played like Swashbuckler cause that was what I loved from Baldur's Gate 2. Then to spice up the character, I decided to be "quirky". I am glad my DM decided to play along when I wanted penguin that I "found" to teach it to fetch loot for me. :/
Even though I did not know how to RP and barely knew how to make a good character, the video game structure of 4e allowed me to ease into roleplaying games. I could relate to at-will, or once per encounter abilities in a way that fit how I understand RPGs from video games. The structure and video game familiarity allowed me to be slowly introduced to what makes ttrpgs special. The creativity, the unique problem solving, and the human interactions.
From there I explored some FATE and Savage Worlds, where I learned more about making good characters for a roleplaying party as well as different ways to play. More from Savage Worlds's Edges and Hinderances than anything. This was all just in time for 5e coming out.
5e is where it really took off and I realized, it was way more fun to just embrace being a nerd and do what I wanted, than worry about labels. So I DM'd for my first time, picking Lost Mines of Phandelver which transitioned into a homebrew story about a city stuck in a 10 day "groundhog day" style loop, then made my own system, got to be a 5e player again, made another system, went on some podcasts, watched some RPG streams. So now you can see I am chin deep in it with only one question, "Will I still be able to breath if I go forehead deep?".
So thank you 4e, for providing an easy, video game friendly approach, for a video game enthusiast who was afraid to be "DnD levels of nerdy".
A Map of Selsea, a city trapped in a timeloop