RPG Maker often gets criticized a lot because it is relatively easy to create a game. On the other hand, I think that in this day and age there is very little point in reinventing the wheel. I think time is better spent in using existing tools and focusing in making the best possible product you can.

I agree, I've written RPG engines from scratch and I can tell you that they weren't any better and I could have used that time to develop more interesting things.

I also agree with @cheaky, you have to work harder to stand out from the crowd if you use "generic" tilesets, etc.

Your screenshots look good. It would be interesting to hear more about the other aspects of the game. Looking forward to updates.

Have you had a look at the plugins and mods you can get for it? There is some really cool stuff there.