(Chris Pratt NPC voice) "woo-hoo!"
Most art, especially in games, is representative. The style of the original Super Mario RPG is not an accident or a compromise based on underpowered hardware, it is the result of artists working with intent within the confines of their medium. Simply filling in the gaps with more detail doesn’t serve the artist's intent or preserve the style of the original. You may like the way the new version looks - Nintendo has certainly spent a lot of time and money making this the default Mario style over the years - but it’s not authentic to the original and it doesn’t capture the original’s tone or aesthetic at all. All of the strange and dreamlike qualities that made Super Mario RPG unique have been replaced with the blandest, safest version of Mario. The new Super Mario RPG is utterly dripless, and it’s a shame to see such a one-of-a-kind game succumb to the lowest common denominator.
AI generated Mario in 4k is not what the fans want
Counterpoint: they didn't update the enemy designs to look like modern Mario. The enemies in the game look just as bizarre as the original smrpg. Imo that's a fair compromise.