I played only a little bit.

The world looks nice but the fact that I have to level up made me stop playing.

I played a few MMOs for a long time and now I associate the leveling system with an artificial slowdown. In MMOs it makes sense for the developer, as he wants to keep the players in his game as long as possible. After all, the players enjoy the time together and doing things in team feels different than leveling up alone.

But in single player games I see no reason to have such mechanics. I prefer the Minecraft way, where everything can be crafted if the resources are found.

Nothing is level locked. You can craft anything by just finding the materials. The leveling system presently is just the framework for more additions in the future that will be shaped by play testing and feedback. Currently, leveling simply increases the damage you deal and reduces the damage you take.