Cute monster girls can be befriended, and then they follow you into the depths of hell. A little less crazy than say, a Shiren game, but still extremely enjoyable. It can be a bit short though if you get kinda lucky. I've played the original a few times, and this version is just easier to set up. I think this is a fantastic Mystery Dungeon lite.

Loving it so far.
There are definitely a lot of improvements over the original beyond just the visuals.

Still definitely recommend. It's cheaper. The English translation is much, much clearer compared to the original(even though i still love it to bits). The tutorials are more informative now as well, shedding more light on mechanics for less confusion. The controls got a much needed facelift with an extremely handy shortcuts system you can bind items and equipment to for fast access without opening the inventory once set up.

Graphics are obviously much improved. I've always considered the original game's art to be very charming, but the added detail from MGMA2 and the little facial expressions when they talk add so much.

TL;DR: Still a glowing recommendation, still just as charming and as solid a Mystery Dungeon style Rogue-like as both the original and the sequel. There's also a casual difficulty if you aren't interested in losing a bunch of your progress and items on defeat.