Enso

Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF):
Buy Enso if you're interested in a Focus meditation experience and avoid it if you just want a game.

Longer Review:
Enso is a very simple, uncomplicated app. It requires some hand-eye coordination and you might miscategorize it as a game. In short, you draw a circle with your controller around glowing orbs floating toward the player. The mechanics are minimal--don't go too fast and don't draw too soon. You are intermittently reminded (via text overlays) to breathe deeply and relax while playing. Ultimately, Enso is an app that helps you *focus* while cultivating a relaxed, meditative state. And it works pretty well. That said, there are a number of meditation apps that have similar "Focus" tools, but Enso is really decent and deserves consideration. The graphics are simple & pleasant, the sound design is very nice, and the current asking price is perfectly fair & reasonable. As far as negatives, I found the various modules difficult to distinguish from each other. I also wish there was a way to show WHICH modules were completed. The menu system, while attractive, requires you to awkwardly flip through a ton of modules. These are very minor complaints though. I've tried nearly every meditation app released since 2016, and Enso is a great experience that will help quiet brain-chatter and ease you into a more peaceful state.

The visuals and music are great! But there are just a few too many things that take away from this being a great experience. First - and very annoying - there is no way I can find to center the app in front of me. Holding down the right controller oculus button does not do anything. The beginning logo is in front but then when the graphics load they are all to the left side with no way to place it in front of me. If I am sitting on a couch or chair there is not a convenient way to view it if I am stationary. Makes no difference which direction I start in, it is always to my left. Definitely needs to have that standard feature of recentering that all my apps have.
Second - the pace of the orbs are really too fast. I can understand the speed for the focus modules but for the sleep, cool down, and relax it is just too fast and makes me tense. I enjoy watching the "explosion" but the next orb is coming at me too quickly to take it all in. Would love to see an option to control the speed to be slower (or even faster if I really want to focus). And thirdly - the sessions are too short. 4 1/2 minutes is just not enough time to settle in. I know I can repeat the session but it loses the rhythm and flow. I would like to see an option for time. Like a 5, 10, 20 minute session. I will say I like the reminders to take a deep breath and relax. But unfortunately, because of the centering issue and speed I am not sure how much I will use it. I do realize this was meant to be geared more towards mindfulness and not just meditative but these are distractions and I just find myself not enjoying it as much as I should. It would be a 5 star review if not for these 3 issues. Also, the developer's website "contact us" link is not working so I do not have a direct support email to send correspondence about these issues. But again, the graphics are good and music is exceptional.

My parents sometimes borrows my headset and all they use is this meditation app. They said it was relaxing for them. Happy it made them feel better.

It works as intended. I've liked the experience so far, even though I don't have many hours on it

Great app for distracting myself from anxiety and good when I feel contention. I liked the different meditation styles and although some were more active than others, I think they are all good for escaping reality and stress.

The game worked well and was very relaxing although I would like more text talking about how the meditation actually helps and what it's doing and such