Recommend something that's not Minecraft?

So, my kids play Minecraft. Like a lot of Minecraft (well, and some Terraria and Starbound too, but they've beaten all the bosses a lot of times and seem done with it). My middle daughter seems to be somewhat less into it than in the past now, and I'm trying to think of game recommendations for her that will be immersive and relevant to her interests, so I thought maybe y'all would have some suggestions.

She is 12, an avid reader, enjoys history, sci-fi & fantasy. Obviously likes a fair amount of freedom in games (and spends a crazy amount of time creating intricate skins for her characters).

Thoughts that came to mind for me were Civ5 (maybe too dry?) and Cities Skylines (same potential issue), though the recent QL made me think maybe yo-kai watch would be good (she has played a few pokemon games).

Not a lot to base a suggestion on I realize, but would appreciate anything y'all have to offer.

Isn't there some space oriented voxel based minecraft-like that just came out? I'm at work but I know I saw it on steam recently. Yo Kai probably isn't a bad idea though, seems kid friendly and engaging.

The space one is called Space Engineers.

Civ would work too, I loved Civ 2 at that age. Or something similar but with a little more flavour like Endless Legend. on 3DS maybe something like Rune Factory 4 (or the loosely similar Factory Life) - a charming mix of farming/life sim/strategy game and vaguely zelda-ish Action RPG. Or Harvest Moon which is the exact same game as Rune Factory without the RPG element.

I kind of half want to say something crazy and suggest Europa Universalis IV actually, but that would seem extremely boring and densely complicated to the majority of kids. But man that (and CKII, which is much worse at teaching new players how to play I would suggest) are the ultimate games for a history fan and have so much freedom. I would have been into them at that age and had similar interests to your kid. That's the stupid wildcard suggestion though.

Oh cool, Space Engineers is free this weekend. Downloading it now. Thanks for the suggestions!

Has she ever tried any RPG's? Pillars of Eternity on PC (I didn't finish this but there's quite a bit of pretty great reading and fantasy and stuff), or Skyrim, or Bravely Default on 3DS, or something along those lines?

Pillars of Eternity looks great, but is rated M. I've played NwN and Dragon Age Origins and think she might enjoy that sort of thing, but would love something with a bit less "adult content" Bravely Default looks like a good possibility.

@mrroach: I remember being occasionally surprised by the suggestive jokes Bravely Default could get away with, though it's pretty much just jokes and not really anything that most 12 year olds haven't already heard before or figured out.

What about Skyrim? It's kinda bloody in some spots but mostly pretty clean as far as sexual content goes. There's a perk that gives you a chance to behead humanlike enemies with a strong attack from a heavy weapon, though, I didn't think about that before mentioning it.

Have you thought about Final Fantasy X? I don't know how receptive a 12 year old might be to a game released before she was born, even if it has been prettied up, but it might be worth showing her.

Yo kai watch sounds pretty good.I'm playing it myself now. I would have loved it so much more if I were 12.I was nuts for pokemon blue when I was 12ish.

@mrroach: I can't believe I forgot this! Chrono Trigger! Every kid needs a copy of Chrono Trigger...

Have you asked her if there is any games she's heard of that she wants to play? 12 is that age when kids are going though a lot of changes and things they once found interesting are "kids stuff" now. But for a recommendation you can't go wrong with The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.

Hmm...

Well Minecraft does have that idle element to it, so maybe some SimCity type of games might be more in line with their tastes. It doesn't really have an end state except for the ones provided by the players.

Or maybe try and see if Skyrim or Oblivion strikes a chord. Maybe the open world will draw them in and the story and RPG elements will be simple enough to be understood. Then hit them with the heavy stuff like Baldur's Gate :D

She may even be ready for Dragon Age/Mass Effect if she's into fantasy and sci-fi. Granted those are very M-rated games.

Come to think of it it's kinda hard to find more in-depth games when it comes to gameplay and not traipse into M-rated territory.

If she likes story, sci fi, and fantasy, you might want to try Pillars of Eternity, Divinity: Original Sin, or some of the Wadjet Eye games. Adventure games are so much more fun as a kid. They approach puzzles and challenges in a way that most adults don't.

If she doesn't mind dated graphics, you could try Myst, Riven. For something newer, could do Cradle or Subnautica.

Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics might be good, too. I loved those games as a kid.

Portal.

Just make them play Portal.

Maybe get some of the older Settlers titles from GOG?

You can't go wrong with a good amount of Nintendo 3DS stuff, honestly. Maybe pick up Animal Crossing? Might appeal to the creative side a bit. Or, heck, Mario Maker?

Age of Empires and Age of Mythology are pretty timeless as strategy type PC games go, and they seem up her alley. I played a ton of them at a similar age. Both are on Steam, and I believe AoE has just been released in HD.

Thanks everyone, some good ideas here. Will have to drip-feed these suggestions to prevent overwhelming her :-)

Maybe Civilization: Revolution for consoles? Faster, more pick up and play, but still a damn good little game.

Also, I always thought "De Blob" was better than it had any right to be.

Colour, jazzy music and revolutionary sentiment? Perfect for any kid with a brain!!

This.

Psychonauts is also a cool fun game. In fact anything from that developer http://www.giantbomb.com/double-fine-productions-inc/3010-2215/

@dudeglove: you guys are slipping. I expected that answer much sooner ;-)

Kerbal Space Program is fun and taught me a lot about orbital mechanics :)