[HOMINIX]

I think it really is a case of us thinking of immersion differently, so I'll give a couple examples of fourth wall breaks and immersion breaks as I understand them.

The signs in the very beginning, such as the "square button" sign on by the first elevator, are examples of immersion breakers (things that are inconsistent with the in-game environments). They are also fourth wall breaking (things directed at the player rather than the main character) in that they are instructing the player, not Abe. Abe isn't going to press "square", he's going to reach out and press the button on the elevator.

These two things don't always go hand in hand. There can be fourth wall breakers that do not break immersion, (in my opinion) such as the spirit flies telling you to "save lost souls". These messages could just as easily be directed at Abe himself, and not just the player.

As for the secret areas specifically, yes there are fourth wall breaking elements such as the fanfare that plays when you discover it, but these aren't immersion breaking. It isn't beyond the imagination that the graffiti could exist in the depths of a real Rupture Farms. The same can't be said for the "press square to ______" signs. A mudokon wouldn't know what the hell you were talking about if you told him to "press square" without also telling him what a Playstation is, and that he's part of a videogame.

I don't really understand why you think breaking the pace of the intended path/story counts as an immersion break. It's kind of hard to believe that there aren't other places within the depths of the biggest meat processing plant on the planet (or the vast wilderness that the Mudomo/Mudanchee called home) that you couldn't access from the main paths. That really isn't a break in immersion in my opinion. It's a break in pacing.