Totally agree, optimal play is often just slow deliberate chip damage and tedious scouring for resources. It's a pretty common problem across roguelikes.
I think Noita would benefit from harder monsters, with much higher gold drops (or cheaper shops), and a tight hunger clock. Though that's somewhat at odds with the cool side dungeons (which are already at odds with the rest of the game).
But I also think Noita has enough cool exploratory stuff in it doesn't necessarily have to be a roguelite. It'd also be a good game with some fast travel options and a system of respawn points.