Oops I forgot one important word: "We start with a theme, that is, an ITEM and a central element"

My pleasure! Thanks for your work

You can read the complete interview (in French) here: web.archive.org/web/20141230...

"... We try to make it all cohesive, and then we build the dungeon by branching out from that starting point.”

Actually, I met with Aonuma and asked him one of those questions (“Where do you start?”). Here’s his answer, which was frustratingly brief: “We start with a theme—that is, a central element (fire, water…), sometimes tied to a broader objective (rescuing an imprisoned character, for example)...”