While it's not always critical for games to have the story or progression on to the next area as the focus, in most cases, it's important to ensure that the player feels they are achieving something as they progress. This may be in how much gold they collect from the fallen enemies to buy swanky new gear and that Level 20 battle sword with flame powers they have had their eye on for weeks. It could also be about increasing the statistics or skills of the player, enabling them to take on more powerful enemies with a wave of their wrist.

Invariably, it is a mix of all of the previous things that makes a game stand out. In fact, in some titles, this is the whole focus of the game; you spend more time planning what skills to have or upgrade as you progress on to explore/fight.

One piece of advice I would give is to ensure that you have some sort of whole-world experience system, not just focus on the battles. This will make you stand out from the crowd. You can have skills and strengths...