3. Sense Of Progression
You are the fateless one. That might not sound like a big deal, but in a world where everybody's destiny is an actual physical thing that is determined way before they're born, to be alive and without a predetermined goal is huge. Not only can you do what you want, when you want, but you also might just be the only person in the kingdom that can save the land from those blasted Winter Elves. They're getting smug, you see. It has been foretold that not a single destiny in the land has been entwined with their defeat, and so they run amok, taking what they want and destroying everything else in a conquest of rage and murder, knowing that nobody is able to stop them. Nobody, that is, except you. So you begin with a blank slate, fateless and free, but as soon as you begin the exploring and killing it's time to begin levelling up. There are different classes to pick from and different races to start as, and they all have their specific ability-trees to dump points into and strengthen, but here comes the kicker. If you don't like what you've done, and you aren't satisfied with the thief-like wizard you've cultivated over fifteen hours of play, you can strip him back to basics and build him up all over again. It's a completely novel thing and one that fits totally with the mythos of Amalur. Not only is it a great thing to do gameplay-wise allowing you a choice otherwise unseen in the role-playing games of late but it reinforces the whole history of this fantastical world, not just showing the story as being story for story's sake, but by being hugely influential on the way you play. Better combos against bigger monsters lead to huge XP multipliers, and with every beast felled and every monster chopped into bits, there's a huge feeling of satisfaction as you level up your avatar.