What If Odyssey 2 - Lexian Kingdoms

Abyssal Kingdom

Mario receives a MAGIC diving suit that grants him normal mobility and infinite air.

The capital city, Mirana, itself is nestled in a trench in the deepest reaches of the ocean.

The local folk, Siphonoes, are eerie, quiet, but friendly enough.

The local enemies are based upon creatures from the deepest parts of the sea, as well as some diving Goombas.

Steal their more advanced diving helmets and you can travel even deeper with no ill effects.  Additionally, the air inside the helmet will cause Cappy to curve upwards when thrown!

Mirana's boss is a massive isopod, one heavily inspired by old "giant insect" B-Movies.

It terrorizes a tiny city, one created by smaller Siphonoes, and so Mario must fight the Beast in a mock Kaiju battle.


Symphonic Kingdom

Mario, after dredging himself up out of Mirana, ends up on the frigid shores of the famed musical city, Rhapso.

The region is famed for the multicolored, icy shapes naturally formed by its unusual water features.  These ice structures, when struck or blown on, create beautiful musical notes in various tones.

The local folk, Rhapsodians, appear to be living bells of some sort, apparently made up of the ice covering their homeland.

Local enemies carry the musical theme, such as Typhoos playing icy trumpets and Hammer Bros tossing drumsticks.

Going off Muno's Power Cap idea, Rhapso's signature cap resembles a large, frozen bell; jumping atop Cappy in this state produces a large musical shockwave with a satisfying DONG!  In addition, striking movable objects will freeze them momentarily, allowing you to build up momentum by slapping them repeatedly with Cappy before they rocket away!  (Why no, this isn't a BOTW ripoff!)

Rhapso, however, is plagued by the infamous composer, Coldwig von Bonetoven.

Bonetoven is a massive Dry Bones-esque skeleton and a conductor; he seems to be made up of ice, and his fight requires Mario to manipulate his orchestra of enemies into shattering him with their music.

As an Easter Egg, striking Bonetoven directly will play a xylophone cover of his battle music.

He'll even stop attacking, and the normal music will halt as he listens!


Waluigi's Kingdom

Upon flying out of Rhapso in the Odyssey, Mario and Cappy are suddenly pulled down by a cartoonishly large magnet!  They crash land on a large, strangely familiar island...

Waluigi Island has seen many advances since Mario Party 3; poorly-built Wahbots, resembling their creator's head on stubby legs, meander about, protecting the "peace." The man himself lurks in a dilapidated "lab" where he builds Wahbots out of scrap that washes up on his island/is pulled in by his Magnet.

Various vehicles, including some Hatships, New Donk Taxis, and even some Steam Gardeners litter Waluigi's junkyard of a kingdom, for some flavor.  Team Mario's goal is to collect enough Moons to deactivate Waluigi's Mega Magnet, even if they have to knock some sense into the purple pest in the process!

The Kingdom's signature cap is... Waluigi's cap. More specifically, a metallic version of it worn by Wahbots.  This cap, when worn, greatly weights Mario down, and generally behaves like the old Metal Cap.  When thrown, however, it behaves like a magnet, attracting metal objects and enemies!  Just... don't throw it into electricity.

The boss is, of course, Waluigi himself.  He makes use of his nefarious contraptions, including some previously seen in sports titles.  When that fails, he'll chuck bombs in desperation...


Premiere Kingdom

After successfully escaping Waluigi's magnetic trap, Mario and Cappy sail off to the famed land of film and fame: Hotlywood.

The Premiere Kingdom is quite a hotspot; literally and figuratively!  The city of Hotlywood borders both Charwood Forest and Blockbuster Caldera, giving the local film studios plenty of variety in filming locations.  Mario will find himself wandering the scorched forest, broiling magma caverns, and garish movie sets as he and Cappy collect enough Moons to fulfill a contract they signed with the local Business Bro...

The local folk, Embers, eternally chase "what's hot right now."  So far, filmmaking is the longest lasting trend they've found, and they gladly pump out movie after movie in the interest of staying at the forefront of a fad.  They can be a bit hotheaded, but you'll not find warmer hospitality anywhere else in the area!  Lakitus also live here, operating as intrepid camera operators.

Hotlywood's signature cap has just recently fell out of style amongst the Embers.  It's styled after an old fashioned reel of film, and throwing it unravels the film into a surprisingly sturdy trail that Mario can walk on!  Bouncing on this will cause Cappy to quickly spin the film around him, making a huge AoE attack reminiscent of Link's Spin Attack!

The boss here is... the Business Bro. After Mario collects enough Moons to fulfill his contract, the Bro reveals fine print that forbids Mario from leaving Hotlywood!  So, of course, our hero has to fight the crooked executive; Cappy's spin attack is invaluable against the jump-happy Bro, as it can catch him out if he jumps too close!


Forecast Kingdom

After beating the Business Bro and burning his contract, Mario sets out after Bowser... only for Blockbuster Caldera to erupt, sending the Odyssey flying high into the sky!  It eventually crash lands outside of Cirro Labs, the leading R&D firm for weather!

Cirro Labs, part of Nimbus Research, is responsible for the development and testing of new types of weather and weather-related technology.  Upon arriving, Mario and Cappy look around for some help with repairs.  The researchers offer to help in exchange for some help from Mario: they need some help with finishing development on a new cap...

The enthusiastic local researchers are Cloudies.  Cloudies are distant kin to the more terrestrial Spinies.  Born in the clouds like their red brethren, the Cloudies never develop the spikes nor the tempers that are emblematic of their cousins.  Instead, their bodies produce fluffy clouds for protection.  Nimbus Research appreciates their light-footed nature and their natural affinity for clouds, and the Cloudies appreciate the opportunity to work with the weather. There are also, again, some Lakitus around as well; these particular ones are merely testers of new weather patterns, allowing Cirro Labs to install new weather into their clouds.

The local cap, when it finishes development, is a sleek thing reminiscent of a silver cloud.  When worn, Mario has lowered gravity, jumping higher and falling slower.  When thrown, he behaves as normal, and Cappy produces a whirlwind gale!  Jumping into this gale will cause an effect similar to Trampoline Flowers, springing Mario skyward in a spin jump!  Once it's finished, the new hat becomes extremely popular, being worn by many enemies, locals, and even the Embers in Hotlywood.

The boss here must be fought after finishing the Cirro Cap; it is a malfunctioning, rogue weather machine (styled after a Fly Guy, of all things) known as Nimbus Guy.  It was apparently sabotaged by someone, and is wreaking havoc across the world by sending out dangerous rejected weather patterns!  Mario must do some percussive maintenance on the machine while it conjures up the perfect storm!  Hope you've learned how to manage the Cirro Cap...

Further ideas:

???: angelic clouds + factory (thanks Jamie!)
Lore Kingdom...?