In a way, Fighting games themselves are actually great Storytelling tools.

[ShadeStrider]

Even when they don't have concrete cutscenes, or a plot that's either simple or complicated. Those are usually supplements. They do make the experience more engaging, (by providing context), but they aren't the type of storytelling that I'm talking about.

 

You have your character, and their moveset.

 

In essence, the moveset is a representation of the character. It tells you about the character, the way they fight, and the playstyle you can adopt to get best results.

 

A Fighting game match essentially tells a story about the conflict between two characters. The Story is told by the programmers and the players. It's up to the programmers to create a moveset that represents a character. And It's up to the players to have the skill to make a character use that moveset to defeat another character.

 

If Player 1 wins, than the story ends with "With Character 1's moveset, he prevailed against Character 2." And Vice Versa.

 

It's very simple. But it's a story, nonetheless.

 

Of course, Music and graphics do play a role. They set the mood and atmosphere for the fight.

 

Very bare bones analysis, but this is a generalization of fighting games in general. If I had to go in to detail about Mortal Kombat appealing to human nature by using Blood and Gore to make it seem forbidden, this would be longer.

[Godot]