Puzzle Pillars

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Puzzle Pillars
Appears in	Mario Party 8
Type	Extras Zone minigame
Time limit	60 seconds per level
Music track	Challenge!
Music sample

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 minigame 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 minigame is over. The minigame also ends if the player beats Level 50, which triggers a congratulatory message. When the minigame ends, the player is offered the chance to continue from the level they were on when the minigame 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, the player is returned to the Extras Zone.

In the two-player version, both players compete on the same board, and the blocks have coins or Amps on them. Clearing coin blocks adds the coins to the player's score, but selecting a column with one or more Amps stuns the player briefly. After 60 seconds, the player with the higher score wins. If the scores are identical, the minigame ends in a tie.

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."

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	いせきでパズル[?] Iseki de Pazuru	Puzzle in the Ruins
French	Puzzle en Piliers[?]	Puzzle Pillars
German	Balkenpuzzle[?]	Beam Puzzle
Italian	Colonne Vincenti[?]	Winning pillars
Korean	유적 퍼즐[?] Yujeog Peojeul	Ruins Puzzle
Spanish	Puzle[?]	Puzzle

Trivia

• In an early version of the minigame, the player character could be seen for the duration of it, while in the final game, the screen is zoomed in on the board.
• This is the only minigame to play the "Congratulations" music, when the player finishes at Level 50 in single-player mode.