This game getting secret areas is a given, there is still a difference however between "secret areas" and "secret quests", as the OP mentioned, eob had both. Every level has optional secret rooms and items while also having one "secret quest".
Also I hope every level is not "linear" and stuff like items, puzzles and areas are linked across multiple levels...
ex1: an item (or key) on level 6 open up a door in a secret area on level 3.
ex2: optional areas of the game only accessable by jumping down pits (see Eye1 level 3, big room of pits).
To that effect I hope jumping down a pit drops you down to either:
1. Sublevel of the current level (ex: Eye1 Level 6, two pits to get the dwarven keys or Level2, pits that drop you to the room with the healing potion and the ladder back up, later connected to the correctional facility subsection through a hidden button)
2. The level below (ex: Pretty much most pits in Eye1... first practical example, level3, the pits drop you most of the time in the spider infested section of level4)
3. A really deep pit, this one kills off the party instantly, maybe accompanied with a nice gruesome picture of our party members impaled on spikes :p .. these pits shouldn't be overused to much but might be a new variation of the in Eye pits mentioned above)
ex3: A clue on the wall in level 8 suddenly makes you find out a use for a puzzle in an earlier or later level. Ofcourse not TO obvious, let us think!
