Pit

Mario falling into an Abyss in Super Mario World.

The terms abyss (or bottomless pit) refer to an area in a video game where no solid ground is programmed. If a playable character falls or jumps into the pit, he or she will be affected negatively. While most games do not explain this phenomenon, on Mushroom World they are a natural element. Literally, these pits have no bottom, although after falling a varying distance down the abyss, the person will die without hitting the bottom. This will even happen to invincible characters. Some Shaydes are tasked with cleaning abyss as punishment in the Underwhere, as seen in Super Paper Mario.

Mario running across a row of one-block abyss.

Sometimes abysses are very narrow. In such cases, the player is able to run across the pits without falling down. Walking across the abyss without accelerating, however, does not work.

There are also two other types of holes easily confused with an abyss. First, some pits, such as those found in Donkey Kong, are not bottomless. However, players will be taken out if they hit the bottom, and are issued a penalty, such as losing a life, or being warped back to a particular location. Secondly, the pits in Wario World lead to Unithorn's Lair, a subterranean cavern, similar to Super Mario Bros. 3, where there are pits that will lead Mario to a underground room. Because players can resume progress once a specific goal has been reached, these cannot be considered pits.