Puzzle Pillars

Puzzle Pillars is a one- or two-player minigame that can be played only in the Extras Zone from Mario Party 8. This minigame can be purchased for 50 Carnival Cards from the Fun Bazaar.

Introduction
Players are standing in front of an ancient stone building, with a score counter and a timer, etc. on the top. The camera zooms in closer to the building, and a stack of multicolored blocks falls into place inside it. The game then begins.

Gameplay
The goal of the game is to match up the blocks of the same color with Mario Party 8 emblems on them. Players must attempt to get as many points from doing this as possible before time runs out. The player must hold to grab a block. They must hold and press  to flip the block vertically. When the blocks with the emblems on them are matched up, they disappear. A certain number of blocks must be cleared on every level to progress. Additionally, the player must avoid obstacles such as blocks with a picture of a Bullet Bill on them, which deplete five seconds from the player's time if they are not matched up with other blocks of the same color in time. Some levels feature Bob-omb blocks, which explode and clear other blocks around them when matched. When the time completely runs out, the game is over. The game also ends if the player beats Level 50, which triggers a congratulatory message. When the game ends, players are offered the chance to continue from the level they were on when the game ended. If they choose to do so, they are allowed to continue, but they incur a penalty of 1,000 points. If they choose not to continue, players are returned to the Extras Zone.

Ending
In the two-player version, the camera zooms out to reveal the characters, with the winner doing their winning animation and the loser doing their losing animation. If a tie occurs, both characters do their losing animations. In the single-player version, the only way to get a real ending is by beating Level 50. Afterwards, the camera zooms out to reveal the character, who does their winning animation with the text "Congratulations" appearing, while the "Congratulations!" music plays.

Controls

 * Wii Remote: Use the Pointer to move the cursor.
 * Buttons
 * / – Select

In-game text

 * Rules (single player) – "Link four or more blocks of the same color horizontally to clear them. Clear emblems to move to the next level."
 * Rules (multiplayer) – "Link four or more blocks of the same color horizontally to clear them. Nab the most coins to win!"
 * Hint (single player) – "Clear Bob-omb blocks to clear blocks around them. Clear Bullet Bill blocks or they'll take 5 seconds off your time."
 * Hint (multiplayer) – "Grab coins instead of blocking your rivals. If you grab a column with Amps in it, you can't move for a bit."

Trivia

 * In an early version of the minigame, the player’s character could be seen throughout it for the entire time, even when playing the minigame, while in the final version; the camera zooms in to hide the character, when playing the minigame. In the early version of the minigame, it was probably meant for the player’s character to cheer whenever the player gets to the next level.