The first thing you notice about Menace is the phenomenal use of effects, which visually is its main strength. What makes a level great to me, besides just having quality design, is the theme and image. The poem is existentialist, making it a level that has a philosophy, which is really cool. I love levels that tell a story. The aggressive and abbrasive visuals compliment the idea of rejecting a higher authority. As a Christian I wouldn't necessarily agree, but I greatly admire the vision. I also greatly respect Manny for composing the song, and actually writing the poem. Clearly a lot of dedication was put into this.

would be better without the memes

Menace has evidently become the golden child of the demonlist in the past year, and I think Manny deserves every bit of it. I've been missing that elusive quirky effect creator who drops something insane every few months, and for 2.2 that creator seems to be MannyHeffley, in the mainstream at least. Although I wouldn't say Menace quite hits the same as his other levels since Out of Chaos, it has a ton to offer as a unique, difficult, and masterfully executed effect level.

Manny has set himself apart in the effect scene in too many ways to count, let alone while being a great songwriter, but the most influential to his levels is probably his approach to gameplay, especially where gimmicks are concerned. I can think of very few top demon list levels in the past with gameplay as ass-to-the-wall insane as the spiral part or whatever is going on in the last dual. I think that's definitely for the best though, difficulty has gotten really bland lately but I think the goofy gameplay meta is making a comeback. Whenever a level like Menace or Andromeda comes out with gameplay equal parts varied and ridiculous looking and places near the top of the list, I get a little bit more optimistic about what hard levels might look like moving forward. Menace in particular also knows when to pull on the brakes with its gimmicky gameplay, with a relatively simple opening and an absolutely chilling swing section halfway through. With that said, Menace is also gorgeous looking, with effects just as out there as whatever the icon's doing at the moment. Manny's work on the song is also a notable highlight; although it's not totally my thing and it gets a bit dramatic to really take seriously, it adds just enough of the MannyHeffley essence to really enhance the viewing experience.

My main gripe with Menace, and honestly the reason it's not a 10, is with the poem, and more heavily Manny's own rhetoric behind it. There's a video on Manny's channel, "The Meaning Behind Menace," that provides a meandering explanative background behind the narrative and some of the imagery in the level. The video is definitely worth a watch; in my opinion learning more about the intent behind a piece of art is always worthwhile if the creator is willing to share it, and discovering that the final gradient moves randomly and that the subject matter of the poem regards issues Manny himself grapples with was very interesting. With that said, I felt that the fragmented presentation of the full poem and the multiple instances of contradiction even in the excerpts shown were interesting, even cruelly deliberate. I also felt that the ambiguity behind the writing and imagery applied a lot of character and edge to the whole experience, since I think a healthy dose of following the general flow of the intent behind a piece can be more thought provoking. It's something I do in my levels and essays, and it's also why Civilization by Kero Kero Bonito is my favorite album. Upon realizing that each strong imagery element and theme in the poem had a rigid narrative purpose was disappointing to say the least, and ironically made it all come across as much more vapid. I put off wording why this was until this morning when I saw Devourer de Dieux by Hota1991 on my timeline, immediately realizing that to pull off something as deep and grand as Menace, or any CW2003 level for that matter, you have to be a little bit opaque and full of shit. Somehow it works every time.

I hate closing reviews with negative statements, so I'll reiterate that I've been a huge fan of this level since the day it was showcased! It's a phenomenal level and step in the right direction for top extremes, I just think Menace would have been more fittingly executed if Manny's vision for the level wasn't one of direct narrative and instead confidently towards the energy his effect and songwriting work can convey on their own.