Played the game up to where you discover the first work bench. So far it seems more like a story driven game where you keep going to the next part to beat it rather than stopping here and there to build up your character, do side quests, and get gear

Is this game more about getting through to advance a story so only need to collect enough to accomplish that?

Or are there points where you actually work on your gear and character like grind for materials if you want to be extra strong?