I've played the first game and loved it, however I'm conflicted on purchasing the sequel as I've heard that its terrible in comparison to the first. It has mixed reviews on Steam, why is that the case? Have you purchased the game? If so, how good is it in comparison to the predecessor?

I'm by no means a big fan of the series, but I think it's fine. Is a light little Diablo clone in the Minecraft universe. I played for 2-3 hours solo on Game Pass and it felt as expected. I enjoyed it more than the first game but take all that with a grain of salt since I only played #1 for maybe 7 hours.

Is it closer to Diablo than Gauntlet Legends/Dark Legacy? To me the first seemed a little closer to Gauntlet.

I think it's much closer to Diablo 4. There are quest-giver NPCs around a world map, instanced mission areas (akin to D4 dungeons), configurable ability-based combat, and loot dropped on the spot.

Dunno, tried part 1, saw the controls... Refunded that shit. If I'd want a console-game, I'd get a console. Lazy bastards.
Won't even check part 2 then...and the mixed reviews won't convince me to try.