Graphics appear to be an improvement from the first game, why not update the sprites for the knight?
Also with your improved tiles I would suggest using more than one type of tile for each terrain type, such as sloped tiles or even just making terrain seem more seamless like they are one piece of terrain, not just 32x32 blocks sitting next to eachother.
Those background tiles are certainly getting better. It looks like it will get to the point where you will need to make your main character match that too.