You may remember opening the Shinra Manor safe in Final Fantasy VII, but in Crisis Core Reunion, somebody’s changed (and randomized) the combination.
One of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion‘s biggest events is the infamous Nibelheim Incident, first portrayed in the original Final Fantasy VII. Of course, Zack’s version of events strays from Cloud’s, and that includes the combination to the Shinra Manor safe.
When Cloud revisits the manor five years later, he learns from clues scattered around the abandoned house that the combination is Right 36, Left 10, Right 59, Right 97. This freed a nasty boss named Lost Number, but upon defeating it, Cloud received the manual for Red XIII’s ultimate Limit Break, Cosmo Memory; the Odin Materia; and the Key to the Basement, specifically the room Vincent can be recruited.
This is not the case for Zack, however, who needs to do a little sleuthing to determine the randomized code and receive a less exciting, but still worthwhile, reward. Here’s how to find all of the clues to the Shinra Manor safe combination in Crisis Core Reunion:
The Clues
If you inspect the Shinra Manor safe, you’ll find a note listing four vague clues, as follows:
1st digit: Knowledge overflowing
2nd digit: Unwelcome faces
3rd digit: Tasty reminders of home
4th digit: Resting on all four feet
The remastered version offers some more pointers, but here’s how to puzzle out the Shinra Manor safe’s combination for your playthrough.
First Digit: Knowledge Overflowing
For the first number, head across the second floor to east/right-hand side hallway of the manor, and try to enter the last room on the right. Zack will find the door locked, but can peer in through the keyhole, like Cloud at the Honey Bee Inn in the original Final Fantasy VII. From here, you’ll see what appears to be some kind of home library.
The key for determining this digit of the Shinra Manor safe code is to count the books not shelved properly—the knowledge overflowing off the shelves. Take your time to scan the room and zoom in, counting any tome that’s on the floor or on top of the shelves, and make a note of your final tally. In the example above, we had four books on top of the shelf, and another on the floor to the right, making our first digit 5.
Second Digit: Unwelcome Faces
The second clue takes us to the first floor. At the bottom of the stairs in the lobby, go to the east/right door and again, Zack will peer through the keyhole.
This time we’re counting the Dorky Face monsters that appear in this hall—a randomized number of unwelcome faces skulking about. These pumpkin-headed baddies were random encounters in the original, but are here to play trick-or-treat with Zack this time around.
Determining this digit of the Shinra Manor code is tricky in a different way from the first, however; the monsters appear and disappear, in an attempt to confuse you. However, they stay in the same place, so once again take a few extra moments to be thorough, get your second digit, and make a note. Our example yielded only two Dorky Faces—one clear and obvious, and one barely discerned at the edge of the keyhole, at the far right side.
Third Digit: Tasty Reminders
Now, for the third digit, it’s back upstairs. The room next to the Shinra Manor safe’s room is our next destination.
Peering through this keyhole, Zack needs to count how many Banora apples and jars of Banora apples are visible—these tasty reminders of Angeal and Genesis’ hometown. You’re not looking only for the purple dumbapples, but for the green-ish cans that they’re often sold in. Whoever’s been snacking down in this locked bedroom has made an awful mess, so make sure there aren’t any hiding behind objects on the nightstand or other obstacles, and once again, note your findings.
In our example, we mistaked an object on the dresser for another can of apples, misleading us to think our third digit was 5.
Fourth Digit: Four Feet
Three down, one to go; head back to the first floor lobby and this time, take the door on the left. The Shinra Manor safe’s final digit is less personal and inspired than the last.
When Zack looks into the keyhole this time, your task is to count the number of chairs in the room—those on four feet on the floor. The last is the easiest, but still, take an extra moment to be thorough and jot down the fourth number.
Reward
Once you’ve found your unique code, return to the Shinra Manor safe on the second floor’s west side and input each digit as instructed. If you’ve got a wrong number, the safe will beep and reject your input, so head back to any of the rooms you’re unsure of and double-check your answer—as we had to do with the third digit. There’s no penalty for errors, at least.
When your answer is correct, however, the safe will spring open and release a Cactuar, who bounds off and flees the room. Pondering if the monster is somebody’s pet, Zack then finds a mastered Vital Slash materia inside the safe. This Command materia is a variant of the Power Attack, which will always inflict a critical hit if it connects.
By unlocking the Shinra Manor safe, you’ve now also completed the Fourth of the Seven Wonders of Nibelheim sidequest lines. Return to the boy to receive your next mission, which will take into the mansion’s basement for an encounter with a familiar face.
It might be a meager physical reward, but this is part of the Seven Wonders sidequests and, thus, another step toward achieving the Seven Wonders Expert trophy/achievement. Continue here for a look at the complete trophy list for Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion.
