Let's quote a real pro:Is it only me or the "solely visual upgrades" feels more like a downgrade.
I think the problem is that the dev had a idea of the characters then he created 3d model what is not the 100% perfect copy of his idea. But the game came out so the players saw the characters, so to them the game version the real character. Now the dev makes a new model that closer to his ideal, it's an improvement for him, but the player only sees the difference from the original, which was the 100% version of the character in the player eyes.