I've been revisiting anno 2205, infamously the ugly duckling of the Anno series of RTS games. I don't mind so much the fact that it's different, lacks customisation and random map generation - I'm bothered because the game is so slow to progress through on challenge settings, and it feels like a game designed just to artificially waste your time; in other anno games, you can always pull tricks to dig yourself out of economic crisis - selling off assets and surplus goods, completing quests for other parties, or taking loans. 2205 is very very confined in terms of what you can do to financially recover in the early game and forces you into a lot of military events.
I absolutely love Vintage Story, but I dunno if it's the best suggestion for someone who doesn't like games that can feel like a life simulator. If watching pies rise isn't your thing, you're really gonna hate when you look away for a few seconds and come back to burnt pie. XD
I didn't have that take away from the above comment, so that's fair enough, i just thought the way it slows you down feels better than how other games do it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I haven't played Minecraft, but the Minecraft vs Vintage Story videos I've seen made it clear I picked the right one for me. I laugh when I die and I love how much work it takes to put a ceramic tile roof on your house.