Curly

Appearance Before the crash, Curly was an average-built man with tired-yet-determined blue eyes and wavy blond hair, wearing the Pony Express coveralls over a red and yellow tee.

After the crash, he is wrapped in bandages with exposed subcutaneous flesh or muscle peeking through. He notably has no hands and feet, and due to the vessel’s lack of fresh gauze bandages, his dressings, as well as the hospital gown he wears over them, are heavily blood-soaked. His jaw and one lidless eyeball are exposed.

On the day of judgment, his appearance remains the same except his right leg just below the knee is cut off.

Personality Curly's personality can be described as dependable. He is a promising and ambitious man with a big future ahead of him. Over time, he grows discontent with his position, wondering if the captain is "all he ever be." He reflects on having chosen the wrong career path. Still, he cares about his friends and crewmates, not wishing to leave them behind. Respected and beloved on his ship, Curly is called a "great captain" by them. He has personal conflicts with his friend and co-pilot, Jimmy, who both admires Curly and is envious of him. He is responsible yet lenient, and his efforts to see the best in everyone leads to his overlooking conflicts on the ship. He tends to ignore inconvenient details to focus on the bigger picture, symbolic when he cannot see the dead pixel on the monitor and direct as he closes his eyes on Jimmy's assault on Anya.

History Biography Little is known about Curly's life prior to the events of the game. We do know, however, that he has been working under Pony Express for quite some time, having made his way to the top rung of the ladder, as mentioned in chapter 4 by Jimmy.

Mouthwashing Relationships Jimmy Jimmy and Curly are presented as having been friends for quite some time before the game's events. It is implanted that Curly assisted in getting Jimmy the position of co-pilot. Curly appears to be lenient to his friend, ignoring his violent outbursts and not taking any serious measures after Jimmy has been implied to have raped Anya, assuring her that "he knows him." Despite Jimmy showing himself to be deeply resentful of Curly and dangerous to his crewmates, Curly trusts him to navigate alone.

After the crash, Curly grows terrified of Jimmy due to constant abuse. At first, Curly gets agitated when Jimmy gives him the painkillers, as the digestion of it causes him great pain. However, after Jimmy physically assaults him when he protests digesting the pills, Curly stops resisting Jimmy's attempt to administer the medicine despite the agony it causes him. Curly is heard sobbing and crying during it.

When Jimmy takes the gun out of the safe keeper, Curly laughs bitterly at the troublesomeness of their situation. His fear of Jimmy only deepens when he amputates Curly's leg and force-feeds it to him, surrounded by the corpses of their dead crewmates.

In the end, Jimmy brings Curly into the only remaining cryopod before assuring him that he has finally fixed everything and subsequently ending his own life with the gun.

Swansea Curly's relationship with Swansea is typical to that of a captain and his employee. There is a mutual respect, and Curly trusts Swansea enough to let him keep the axe after Curly uses it to free Daisuke from the foam before the crash.

Swansea complains that everything goes through Curly, being discontent that he holds so much importance over them. When Jimmy takes over after the ship's crash, Swansea seemingly prefers their previous captain, mocking Jimmy's attempt to establish authority. It implies that Swansea might've held Curly in higher regard than Jimmy.

Anya They have trusting relationships, spending time together on the ship. Anya is seemingly distracted by the fact that Curly won't open up to her during the psychological evaluation but still treats him like her friend. Anya confides her problems in Curly, telling him about the dead pixel on the monitor distracting her and about the implied rape by Jimmy. However, Curly appears to hold her in lower regard than his co-pilot, reprimanding her for hiding the gun safe and not taking any serious measures against Jimmy.

Despite the crew believing that Curly caused the crash, Anya still cares for him. She believes one's worst moment doesn't turn them into a monster, therefore not holding any grudge against her former captain. She is pained to a point of nausea to hear him in agony during medicine administration and sometimes asks Jimmy to do it.

When Anya commits suicide, she overdoses on Curly's painkillers, locked with him in the medical office.

Daisuke Curly and Daisuke also have a typical working relationship, and very few personal interactions through the game. Despite this, it seems generally neutral, with Curly usually leaving Swansea to deal with Daisuke, as he's interned under him. He does also mention that he should've put up more of a stink towards the company for allowing Daisuke on a ship made for 4 people.

Trivia The first and only time we see Curly's face prior to the crash is in Chapter 20. Curly is his surname. His first name, only somewhat visible on his ID card, has not been confirmed. From the texture of the card, it's possible that his first name is ‘Grant’.