The satisfying part comes from piecing together a stronger kit over time rather than waiting for one lucky reward to solve everything. Materials turn into crafted gear, the new gear gets tested, and the cycle starts again. The full version is unlocked with no ads, so the idle side can tick along without constantly interrupting the run.
Twenty combat attributes give equipment a bit of texture, especially once several upgrades start interacting with each other. There is no need to babysit every fight; the better pastime is working out where the next chunk of resources should go and which weakness is worth fixing first.