I haven't played Chrono Source, and didn't know that there was any general dislike for it. It's on my "to do" list, but I haven't gotten to it yet. When it was first released, I tried to play it but ran into multiple install issues and couldn't get it to run, so it was set aside for a future date.
That being said, I definitely think there is a lower quality overall to RPG Maker games. I've played quite a few, and most out there end up unpolished, full of negative space, and feel very amateur-ish. There are a few exceptions to the rule:
Ara Fell,
To The Moon, and
Rakuen, but overall, the RPG Maker market for games is just sort of blah.
For me, I don't need an impressive combat engine. I don't need the world's best story. But there are three things that stand out to me that are ultimately about quality control (or at least that's how I interpret it:
1. Level QualityRarely do I need spritework and tileset-level design that are beyond lazy or amateur levels, which end up boring me. For example, compare these two screenshots.
A Screenshot from Ara Fell:
http://www.stegosoftgames.com/Content/images/AF/BloodForest.pngA Screenshot from Dark Fire:
https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/disp/047a2954539661.560946fb6357d.pngSo much of what I've seen with RPGmaker level design is full of what I guess is ultimately negative space; areas are sparsely filled and lack depth. The level-design ends up
boring.
2. GraphicsI don't really dig 8-bit graphics era (despite being an 80's kid; sorry early Final Fantasy), but I do love 16-bit and 32-era graphics. For example, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Phantasy Star 4, Terranigma -- they're are all great.
But looking at RPG Maker, I just don't dig the graphics much of the time. Much of it is an overly simple, chibi-esque look that just doesn't do it for me. The trees and plants look cartoonish and it's all a rough copy and paste type of look.
Here's an example:
http://cdn.edgecast.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/426100/ss_b14f455546f408bc8754427a103ca40066075f8f.1920x1080.jpg?t=15175352573. A Cut Above?I still love RPGs, but I'm in my 30's and have too little time and too many video games. Turn-based games rarely cut it anymore. For example, I recently trying to play Final Fantasy V -- I've started it half a dozen times and have yet to beat it. Guess what; I lost interest 10 hours in and never finished it.
By modern standards, the gameplay wasn't engaging enough to match the mediocre storyline and mediocre early-SNES graphics. Not to knock FFV, but it simply isn't as engaging as FFVI.
So, and this comes down totally to my own personality, but I need a mix that keeps me engaged. You can't have poorly executed graphics, a boring 1990's turn based combat system, and a boring story and make me interested. Even an amazing story likely won't keep me completely invested if there's not solid combat and graphics.
A recent buck to that trend is the Bravely Default series -- the combat is old-fashioned (even with the Brave/Default stacking options), but the charming and unique graphics and engaging (even if cliche) story kept me completely pulled in.
In SummaryI think that is a good enough summary for why I don't love RPG Maker games. With a low barrier of entry, there's a whole lot more meh games then there are good games. My time is valuable, so I'm only going to invest it in quality.
I should note that I say all this without Chrono Source in mind. I have seen little of Chrono Source beyond what you've posted here and the initial three or four screenshots. I know that Chrono Source uses Chrono Trigger graphic tilesets, so that's a plus.
To compare directly to Chrono fan games, we really only have three completed Chrono fangames (as far as I know) -- Crimson Echoes/Flames of Eternity, Chrono Alter, and Chrono Source. Prophet's Guile is excluded because it was a small hack and moreso a demo for Crimson Echoes and ROM-hacking capability.
I've played Chrono Alter (shout out to my boy Lance). To some degree, it fell into some of the traps in which I mention in how I feel towards RPG Maker games. The quality between Chrono Alter and Crimson Echoes simply wasn't the same.
Beyond that, RPG Maker games don't *play* like Chrono Trigger games. They just feel off... Maybe it's the ratio and battle movements, but in transitioning to a separate battle plane it feels more like Final Fantasy turn-based rather than Chrono's.
At this point, I'm rambling. I hope my point came across. Maybe, maybe not.