That is indeed true, I only just noticed it. It also reaches higher framerates, I believe the original is locked to a maximum of 20, but it may have been 30 (it’s been a while since I last played it).
I think I do prefer the Windows version, as I’m a sucker for crisp visuals, but as for it being the definitive release, it is debatable. It has a few quirks, such as text moving too quickly on anything that’s faster than an original Pentium and voice lines triggering a bit too fast for my liking, not to mention various little bugs here and there that have been catalogued by the Ecstatica wiki (oh yes, it exists!).
More importantly, I think there’s something to be said about the original’s visuals. The pre-rendered backgrounds had to be updated for the newer release with higher resolution assets and some of the added detail is bizarre and even surreal at times, especially on rocky formations. I personally liked it, but it does have a sort of unfinished look, where as in the original release, the lower resolution hides most of the fine detail and imagination fills the gaps. This might be one of these cases where “less is more”.