Exploring the Fusion Chamber in Crisis Core: Guidelines for Pressing Buttons

Chaos is erupting in the Shinra Building, and your job is to play bodyguard for the slightly creepy scientist, Hojo in Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core. You follow him into his lab, the Fusion Chamber, and bam! It’s full of weird machines with tempting buttons. You’re probably thinking, “Should I push these? What’s gonna happen?” Well, you’ve come to the right place! This guide will walk you through what each of those buttons does and if it’s worth your time.

What Happens if You Push the Buttons in Hojo’s Lab in Crisis Core?

So, should you go around mashing buttons in Hojo’s high-tech lab in FF7 Crisis Core? The short answer is yes, absolutely! Each machine you interact with kicks off a different little event or mini-game. Playing along gets you various goodies, mostly precious SP (Soldier Points), but also a chance to test out some Materia and even snag items from locked cells. Plus, interacting with these machines is tied to three missable trophies, so if you’re aiming for that Platinum, you definitely want to engage with everything here.

All machines in Hojo’s Lab mini-games in FF7 Crisis Core

West Computer: Experimental Materia Test in Crisis Core

Okay, starting with the machine closest to the elevator, the west button, this one lets you test drive some experimental Materia. When you interact with it, Zack gets zapped into a simulation (looks like a desert) where you’ll fight some Worm enemies.

• You get to try out Cura, Proto Spellblade, HP Turbo, MP Turbo, and AP Turbo Materia.
• Here’s the cool part: you don’t actually need to win these fights. You can even lose, and it’s totally fine.
• After the test is over, no matter the outcome, your HP, MP, and AP will be fully restored, which is a nice little bonus.

It’s basically a consequence-free way to see some Materia in action.

Central Computer: Mako Recovery Prototype in Crisis Core

This central machine button, sitting near the center, triggers a timing mini-game called the Mako Recovery Prototype.

• Hojo wants you to test its Mako recovery function. It’ll start a countdown from five… but it visually stops at three.
• Your goal is to press the button exactly when the timer hits zero. You gotta feel the rhythm!
• Nail it perfectly (right on zero), and you get a sweet 100 SP reward. This also unlocks the “Precise Restoration” trophy.
• If you’re a little late, you’ll get less SP (like 60 SP).
• Mess up badly (press way too late or maybe not at all?), and you’ll actually lose 50 SP. So, try to get that timing right!

East Computer: Fight Experimental Monsters in Crisis Core

Moving over to the machine on Hojo’s right (the east side), this one’s all about combat and looting.

• Pushing this button releases several experimental monsters (Experiment No. 97s) onto the 67th Floor (where the cells are).
• Hojo tasks you with hunting them down and defeating them within a time limit.
• Each monster you defeat will drop a Jail Cell Key. You might need the Steal Materia equipped to guarantee getting the keys from them, so keep that in mind!
• Once you have the keys, you can run around opening the six detention cells on that floor. Inside the cells are chests containing valuable items.
• Successfully clearing out the monsters within the time limit will earn you the “Cell Raider” trophy.

Central Tube: SOLDIER Questionnaire/Enhancement in Crisis Core

Finally, there’s that big blue/green tube-like chamber right in the middle of the lab. Interact with this, and Hojo will, uh, “persuade” Zack to step inside for a little Q&A session.

• Hojo will ask you a series of questions about being a SOLDIER.
• There are no “wrong” answers, but some choices give you more SP than others. To get the “Of Significant Worth” trophy, you need to give the answers Hojo deems fitting for a valuable SOLDIER member (which generally means picking the options that give the most SP).
• Here are the questions and the SP breakdown:
  • Which Do You Admire More?
    • A SOLDIER operative like Sephiroth (300 SP)
    • A SOLDIER operative like Angeal (100 SP)
  • What Do You Think Shinra Needs Most Right Now?
    • Many powerful SOLDIER operatives (200 SP)
    • State-of-the-art science and technology (400 SP)
  • Which Do You Believe to Be More Befitting a SOLDIER Member?
    • A person who gives all to Shinra (200 SP)
    • A person unafraid to challenge Shinra (300 SP)

Answer these thoughtfully (or just pick the highest SP options!) to maximize your reward and impress Hojo enough for the trophy.

Chapter 4 Missable Trophies in Crisis Core

Just a heads-up: while these events and trophies are missable within this specific chapter (Chapter 5), you generally have until you leave Midgar for good near the end of Chapter 7 to come back and complete them if you missed something initially. So, don’t stress too much if you skip one by accident, but it’s easiest to just do them all while you’re here, so go ahead and push those buttons!

For more information on Final Fantasy, check out What to do with the Boiler Handle in Modeoheim in Crisis Core and All voice actors in Crisis Core Reunion on Moyens I/O.