It's probably just me getting old, but since the patch, Hard mode seems slightly harder (slightly, maybe it's just tweaks to the double roll or something), and the framerate in the monastery doesn't seem to tank as much.
Also the new battles are pretty cool, but I thought they'd be a tad more limited in terms of availability. Now it seems you can just farm them, and while the added difficulty is nice, it's kind of offset by, well, the higher levels, thus XP gains.
That being said, I think I've found my own hard+ mode. Just stop using Iron ASAP (so not early game where they're basically your only weapons) and you're getting doubled left and right plus you hit significantly less. As an added bonus, Iron weapons look like shit (I dunno why they have this weird rusty look ...), so it's easier on the eyes. Of course I also avoid Training weapons.
Seriously, except in specific situations late game, Iron/Training weapons are just way too good (speed FTW). And I may be wrong, but I doubt Maddening changes that.