http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Hopeless_Masquerade
In comparison to the previous fighters, Hopeless Masquerade is an aerial fighter with no ground combat. It also does not feature any weather system in the screenshots, nor does it include the deck system from Scarlet Weather Rhapsody. Other notable differences include a timer, the possibility to play a best-of-5, and a new "popularity" system based on the actions each player takes.
Notable differences from previous fighting game iterations include:
1. New method of performing special moves. A direction plus A+B or X+Y will perform a special move, use an item, or declare a spell card. Which direction corresponds to which move can be customized according to profile. Some moves will have different properties when bound to certain directions. For example, the angle at which Reimu fires her Youkai Buster depends on which button it is bound to (30 degree up with up, straight forward with forward, 30 degree down with down, or 60 degree down with back).
2. Immaterial and Missing Power-style spell cards declaration system. This involves "declaring" spell cards before you're able to use them. Declaring a card comes with a delay. Unlike in Immaterial and Missing Power, more than one spell card can be chosen per match, but once one spell card is declared, you cannot use a different one until you use up your declared card or time on your declared card runs out. You cannot actually declare until your "Blue life" (which increases based on how much damage you've taken or dealt) matches with your current life.
3. Last Word: Hitting opponents fills up a percentage under your life bar and getting hit lowers it. Once it reaches +100%, your character emits a golden aura and can use this special spell card.
4. The Limit system makes its return from Scarlet Weather Rhapsody/Hisoutensoku under a new name: Stun. Unlike in those games, reaching maximum Stun does not prevent you from getting hit with spell cards. When you've been stunned, you enter a white stun state that renders you invulnerable to normal attacks while downed, but not spell cards. If you get hit with a spell card, you enter a red stun state where you're invulnerable to everything while downed.
5. Barrier Guarding: As normal from the other Touhou fighting games, guarding attacks can chip away at your Spirit gauge. However, if you guard right before an attack hits, a blue barrier will surround your character, the opponent will be pushed further back than usual, and you will take less Spirit damage. If you Barrier Guard the first hit of a multi-hit attack, you will automatically Barrier Guard the rest of the hits in that attack. However, if you block the first hits of a multi-hit attack normally, you can shift into Barrier Guarding by tapping back during the blockstun.
6. Characters have character-exclusive mechanics.
a. Reimu can switch sides of the screen just like she could in Subterranean Animism. When standing with your back to the wall, double-tap toward the wall to appear on the other side of the stage. Her spirit meter also has more spirit than other characters.
b. Marisa has 3 stars next to her spirit meter. Every special move or Y bullet (her laser) she preforms adds one star to this gauge. When it's full, her next special move or Y bullet gains additional properties, such as damage or wallslam.
c. Ichirin has a rage meter (similar to K-Groove in Capcom vs SNK 2 or the rage meter in Samurai Shodown) that fills up as she gets hit. Filling this meter causes her to temporarily turn red and deal additional damage.
7. Characters now have introduction and win poses. However, you cannot move around before the round starts anymore.
http://www.tasofro.net/touhou135/
度重なる天変地異、あらがえない天災の恐怖、
それらは人間の里に厭世観をもたらした。
里には重苦しい空気が渦巻いている。
しかしながらそれは絶望感では無い。
何をしても人間の未来は変わらないという閉塞感に近い物であった。
『ええじゃないか！』
誰が発したのだろうか、そんな声が聞こえて来る気がする。
そうだ、何も変わらないのなら、何をしても良いんじゃないか？
そうだ、もっと刹那的に生きれば良いんだ。
次第に里の人間の心は解放され、それと同時に秩序が乱れていった。
その様子を別の視点から見る者達が居た。 宗教家達である。
宗教家は乱れた人心を掌握しようと考えた。
秩序を取り戻すと同時に、自らの信仰を集める良い機会だからだ。
幻想郷にお寺を建立した僧侶、俗世を捨て不老不死を目指す道士、
そして復権を目指す巫女。
彼女達は決意する。こういう時こそ「私の出番」だと。
さあ、それぞれの信念を武器に、魅力的に闘い、人気を奪い合え！
