What has been upgraded that matters is the dialogue, now featuring spoken parts. The voice acting is good, and much more enjoyable than the "mumble-mumble-mumble" of old, similar to Animal Crossing or the like. There are probably many differences in a side-by-side comparison with the original, in terms of backgrounds and characters models. Everything runs smoothly without slowdown, and the transitions between one part of a level to another happen seamlessly. Cut-scene animation tells some of the story, but there are plenty of other narrative segments that use in-game assets. The greatest thing about the game is still the music! I would have paid $20 more for a copy that included the soundtrack, just to listen to the tunes backing up Klonoa's exploits through Phantomile. Few games really have music that stands on its own merits, and the greater accomplishment here may be that the music is strong but does not overpower the gameplay.