I agree, ZUN seems to be focusing more and more on gimmicks, some of which are kinda cool, but sometimes they just get in the way of the danmaku.
I really liked Mononobe's last spellcard (Saint Girl "Oomonoimi's Dinner" ) though. That one was pure win.
EDIT: I seem to be noticing a trend in Touhou: the "Springtime" games (7 and now 13) seem to have afterlife themes. First it was the Netherworld and a demon cherry tree sealed with the corpse of a noble girl, and now we journey under a graveyard amidst a large number of divine spirits to a mausoleum of a resurrected Taoist prince, complete with zombies. Coincidence, I wonder?