PAINTERBOY | Commodore 64 (1986)

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Are you from Finland and is there any more trivia or information you could share for this wonderful little game? 😇🕹👌 🇫🇮🇫🇮 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= More from 1986: tinyurl.com/1986-C64-GAMES My Top Picks: tinyurl.com/CCGS-BEST-GAMES

[@terosaarela4555]

Many fun hours playing this back in the day. My b/w television did provide a challenge, though, as making the red out of the blue was a bit hard.

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

My brother said he had the same problems playing 'Steve Davis Snooker! 😇🕹️👌

[@hannuback]

This is truly a finnish legend! The adverts were a product of the time; very tongue in cheek and comical. The old man is a painting master and though "poika" can mean 'son', it can also be translated 'boy' - the impression is that they might be father and son, but clearly the boy is an apprentice. Calling him "poika" is condescending and it was a common custom that the older professional, "mestari" (master) would call the younger apprentice "poika", though the apprentice might already be well into adulthood. Do this today in a workplace and you'll be asking for trouble 😂 There was many of these adverts, in one advert the master is explaining what paint to use and why while the boy is flirting with a girl who lives in the house. The master sees this and straight up says "boy, stop fooling around". This theme continues in the game, you must avoid the girl! The common theme in the adverts was the master explaining about the paints and the boy getting distracted. I was a child in the 80's and only saw the adverts as comical, but I think there was a bit of a controversy around them; although they were in a way innocent, they did have this patronizing master and the whole master-apprentice setting was old fashioned even at the time. Tikkurila did drop the advert theme after a while, but I think there was a general discussion about adverts at the time, there was a lot of sexism and attitudes that did annoy viewers. I have some memory that these adverts got negative attention also, though they were liked too. The advert campaign was getting a lot of air time, so it wasn't a small campaign, I guess making it into a game shows that. Anyway I remember playing the game a lot with my older brothers. I was amazed by the sample "poika" and though it was not the first game to have a speech sample in it, it was the first time I understood what was being said. The game felt like the adverts with the tongue in cheek finnish humor, but I remember playing it a lot more than one would expect of an advert game. I still feel the game had no right to be so good, there were a lot of worse games out there that I had much higher expectations of. This one came out of nowhere and proved that finnish games can be good and a painting game can be much more fun than one would expect. Of course the game was silly, but it was playable and at times even entertaining and even challenging! I think that 4/5 review is actually accurate.

[@ArttuTheCat]

Kukas muistaa Amersoftin julkaisemaa Commodore 64 n: leffapeliä UUNO TURHAPURO MUUTTAA MAALLE 😹👍🕹️?

[@praiha]

And in the early 90s we got ads from this other paint brand, Panu, which were definitely a lot more behind the times than these ads...

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

A nice trip down memory lane! Your recollection perfectly captures the charm of that era - those tongue-in-cheek adverts, the unmistakable Finnish humour, and the old-school master-apprentice dynamic that feels so distant now. It’s amazing how something that started as an ad campaign could leave such a lasting impression, not just in commercials but in a genuinely fun game as well 😇🕹️👌

[@hannuback]

@@praiha Oh boy, I totally forgot about Panu! Those were sexist jokes! How come we have all these paint adverts and there's a competition in who does the most out of line advert? :D

[@hannuback]

@@ArttuTheCat Uuno Turhapuro muuttaa maalle was way too difficult! I never got through the first level. My brother borrowed the disk from his friend and we only played it for a short while though. It was so frustratingly difficult that we just gave up. I've been thinking about it sometimes, was it really so difficult, or was it just a skill issue...

[@TheLemminkainen]

Played this a alot back in the days. Tv commercials were cult too😊. Sadly Poika! the young painter guy is not with us anymore. He became football specialist to sport studios. Good memories and that music still brings nostalgia ❤ Poika! Mömömömömöm (car sound)

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Its always sad to learn about the passing of iconic people, such a shame. I am sure this video will bring back some great nostalgic memories for the people of Finland who owned a Commodore 64 back in the 80s 😇🕹️👌

[@TheLemminkainen]

@ We had most C64 vs population. I think population 5 million and 100 000? C64's. But it was most sold computer here for ages and cult machine.

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

I need to try and get these videos out to those other people! Feel free to share - would help the channel 😇🕹️👌

[@ArttuTheCat]

HYVÄ SUOMI 🇫🇮 😹😺👍🕹️! TIKKURILA - JA HOMMA HOITUU 😸😺👍. I love ❤️ this finnish 🇫🇮 game on the Commodore 64 😹😺👍🕹️. It's also amazing, that Tikkurila is part of the city of Vantaa 🇫🇮 😺👍. And i live in Vantaa 🇫🇮 😹😺👍🕹️. Thank you so much for sharing this video 😹😺👍🕹️. A big retrospective like 👍🕹️ from Martinlaakso, Vantaa (Finland 🇫🇮). 😸😺👍🕹️

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Absolutely my pleasure - thankyou to the people of Finland for creating this exquisite little gem of a game! I enjoyed playing it 😇🕹️👌

[@erikrounds]

This one looks kind of fun, and the music isn't bad. The only other painting-based videogame that I can think of off the top of my head would be Jet Set Radio

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

There was Poster Paster too which was sort of similar in concept, from Taskset kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWKsiKuArJpskJI 😇🕹️👌

[@Larry]

Postman Pat meets the first level of The Flintstones game!

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Haha yes!! Thats exactly what I was thinking when I was playing it to be fair... also the driving difficulty from either Miami Vice or The Last V8! 😇🕹️👌

[@Larry]

@@CheekyCommodoreGamer I never got why games back then were so anally retentive at the player having to drive absolutely pixel perfect. My only assumptions is what happened with Ocean and Robocop 3 on the SNES, the programmers were also the playtesters, and got so good at playing the game over and over, they assumed it was too easy.

[@mikkoasikainen472]

Greetings from Finland! I remember how excited I once was about this game; it felt so amazing as a child to have a game in Finnish. But pretty quickly, I realized that this isn't a very good game 😇

[@ArttuTheCat]

@@mikkoasikainen472 TORILLA TAVATAAN 😹👍🕹️!

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Still, great to know that this existed... I only learnt since doing the channel but I am glad I discovered it 😇🕹️👌TAVATAAN

[@andresjoberg]

This game looks *amazing*, it’s like the house painter version of Miami Vice ;)

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Precisely!! The driving parts are very similar to Miami Vice... I'll cover that game very soon, but it's frustratingly difficult to get decent footage as I keep crashing into walls straight away haha 😇🕹️👌

[@andresjoberg]

@ Hahaha, yeah I saw your first-ish attempts on the live stream :) I’m the one who tipped about shift/lock, Miami Vice was one of the first games I got in a batch of tapes from my dads friend when I got my c64, he even made a hand written manual for all the games in a book, which is why I remember it so well, since the start sequence with shift lock was *not* logical at all :) Driving gets a little easier either practice but not much ;)

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

I'm glad you told me how to start the game or I would have been stuck on that screen haha! I've since been playing it this week and can now proudly say... I CAN DRIVE!!! Woop... I'll create a video for it sometime soon 😇🕹️👌

[@andresjoberg]

@ Hahahaha :) I was revisiting the game several years ago using Vice, and got stuck exactly the same spot for a while, and then suddenly this flashback to my childhood hit me and I remembered the secret keystroke ;) I spent so many hours playing that game just driving around, mapped out each screen on A4 paper, one for each screen, trying to figure out the time slots where people would show up in the different locations ;) Without the shift/lock and the time table for meetings the game is literally unplayable, I’m guessing it was somewhat of a «copy protection» scheme to make it juuust a little bit more cumbersome to copy it ;) Reading the manual for the game really is the key, as the shooting mechanic from the car is also not very intuitive :)

[@dokjyrsaa2287]

These commercials were my big favourites when I was a child. Have to say that this older man in adverts wasn´t his dad, althought I thought it as well, he is more like a older painting master and boss of their painting company. In Finland there´s is an one funny phrase from these commercials "Poika, se on kalkkuna (Hey boy, it´s a turkey) In one advert he almost painted a turkey instead of house and his boss says that phrase to him.

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Ahh cool - thankyou for clearing that one as I thought it was more of a 'father and son' team.... so the older gentleman was more like his 'boss' than his father. 😇🕹️👌

[@hiidenlaulaja]

Finn here. I’m very glad and surprised that you brought this lost little gem to the attention.

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Ahh thats great that you discovered this on the channel - great little nostalgic game indeed 😇🕹️👌

[@shadewalker]

All things said. It looks like a pretty detailed and large world map! Way to go Suomi!

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Indeed, way to go Finland! 😇🕹️👌

[@aleksazunjic9672]

Decent game, they should have released it internationally, it was better than many "big titles" of the time.

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Would have been superb if this would have made it to the UK back in the day... I can imagine there would be more homes being painted with Tikkurila paint, thats for sure! 😇🕹️👌

[@shaunbebbington6411]

At timestamp 1:05 the guy on the left is sure happy about painting!

[@OperationPhantom]

He looks ready to paint...

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Thats his big gloss brush! 😇🕹️👌

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Standing to attention 😇🕹️👌

[@Virtualblueart]

It was really interesting to learn all of the history associated with this game even if I had never heard of it. And the programmers did a good job by the looks of things.

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

I think it was quite well programmed indeed - the driving sections can be difficult to control but the painting parts are very well put together indeed 😇🕹️👌

[@MrLondonGo]

1:11 thats what love about this channel, CCG puts effort into these vids!!

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Much appreciated, as always 😇🕹️👌

[@lurkerrekrul]

It's not that strange of an idea for a game. After all, Bristles was a similar idea, published three years earlier. Then there's Poster Paster, where you put up posters, Hover Bovver, where you mow lawns, etc.

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Poster Paster & Hover Bovver are on the channel too - I will follow up with Bristles at some stage too 😇🕹️👌

[@The_Badseed]

It's interesting to see something to come outta Finland besides death metal

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Haha, true! Finland may be known for its epic death metal, but every now and then, they lke to surprise the world with something different-whether it’s a quirky video game, a bizarre advert, or a competition about sitting in a sauna for way too long. Variety is the spice of life! 😇🕹️👌

[@vksasdgaming9472]

Max Payne and Alan Wake/Control from same crew.​@@CheekyCommodoreGamer

[@vidarlystadjohansen9829]

fascinating. never heard of this or the history

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

I like the story, I can imagine this game being very nostalgic to the people of Finland 😇🕹️👌

[@snoeg]

Hooray, this game rarely pops up anywhere. Must be the language barrier. I played it back in the day - good times. It was fun just to drive around and see how fast you can go without crashing :) Also, I only recently (if you can call the 2010s recent) learned that that speech sample was meant to say "poika". We thought it was just gibberish.

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Was a pleasure to discover this little gem of a game, hailing from the wonderful country of Finland 😇🕹️👌

If you are interested to try few C64 games from Finland, try "The Odyssey", "Joe the Whizz Kid", "Sanxion", "Delta" and "Quedex" made by Stavros Fasoulas.

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Stavros Fasoulas made some superb games indeed!.... I've included several of those games, which are already available on the channel, in the video's description 😇🕹️👌

[@theusher2893]

"Nothing says romance like freshly painted walls!" I'd venture many husbands roped into repainting the house at their wives' request would have a more cynical view 😆

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

This is very true!! Haha, exactly! It usually signified the start of a weekend-long DIY nightmare I never signed up for. Nothing says "I love you" quite like a sore back! 😇🕹️👌

[@OperationPhantom]

Maybe not as fun as Bristles but you do get to drive a car and explore Finland a bit while painting the town 22 pistepirkko shades of red! Never knew this existed but I'm glad it does!

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Bristles will definitely be on the list of games to cover... I really enjoy First Star Software games 😇🕹️👌

[@merman1974]

Good fun, this is one I had not come across before. Sort of The Last V8 meets Bristles.

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Ha yeah, exactly like that! The car parts in particular... how brutal were games like V8 & Miami Vice with the driving parts! Eishhh 😇🕹️👌

[@JoergMcFly]

Definitely some Last V8 vibes there - never played "Bristles" myself though, definitely going to give that one a shot too.

[@maxmirni2768]

brilliant video and very interesting

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Much appreciated - yeah it's a cool little game... a hidden gem 😇🕹️👌

[@swanh8er]

Its a shame this was never released over here in the UK little me would of loved this!

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Yeah I know what you mean... I literally only played this for the first time last month, but it was surprisingly pleasing and I liked the designs of the various houses. Definitely had that Scandinavian vibe 😇🕹️👌

[@anthroposmetron4475]

This actually looks pretty good by the standards of 1986.

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

After 1985/1986 the graphics in games really ramped up a good few notches 😇🕹️👌

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

Who would have thought that painting a house could ever be fun or entertaining? I think there's also a game where you have to mow lawns. Doesn't sound exciting but it's actually surprisingly fun! (Can't remember the name of it though.)

[@vksasdgaming9472]

Lawnmower Simulator. It is way newer game.

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

That would be Jeff Minter’s brilliant Hover Bovver - a true classic from back in the day. You can find it right here on the channel, ready to bring back those fond memories - kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5C1hoykhbOYY6c 😇🕹️👌

[@Syragar]

I was just thinking at the beginning of this video, "Before there was House Flipper, there was this!" Then right on queue you mentioned House Flipper. LOL I have to say... this looks surprisingly deep for an "advergame". What you said at 5:12 pretty much describes me. I'll sometimes see a game that's absolutely terrible... but I'll often find a way to have fun. When I was a kid I ate a whole family sized bag of Skittles while playing some really bad C64 games I got from a friend. I got sick from the Skittles later... but I had fun! Heck... I even enjoyed E.T. on the Atari 2600... which many people claim is the worst video game ever made. So that's why I'll sometimes say, "That game looks like crap!" Then proceed to play it. It's like watching a movie that's so bad... it's sometimes good. LOL

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Absolutely true. Every game has its own unique charm that resonates with someone out there. That’s what made the Commodore 64 so special-arguably the greatest computer ever made. It had something for everyone, from timeless classics to hidden gems, and most importantly, it gave us memories that still linger, wrapped in the warm glow of nostalgia 😇🕹️👌

[@sterling7]

The overhead view of the truck reminds me a bit of "Give My Regards to Broad Street". Is there no time limit? Just your mustachioed boss, etc., getting in your way?

White painting you have to dodge a woman, a bird and a dog, too.

[@sterling7]

Sorry, that's what I meant by "etc.", I should have been clearer. I have a bit of a tendency to drone on if I allow myself.

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Indeed... and for those who haven't played that yet, its up on the channel here 'kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmekZH-ieLKjatk'. No time limit that I am aware of... just got to avoid your Dad and other obstacles 😇🕹️👌

[@praiha]

I don't think the ten year old me had the clearest idea what paint to select either. I did like the game at the time though... (it springs to mind that the game manual may have had hints on what paints to select as kind of copy protection. Of course, my copy of the game didn't include the manual)

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

I am not sure why there were choices of paint, but I do know that choosing the correct one will maximise your score. It's a bit confusing as a non-Finnish speaker, so I just chose the ones that looked the nicest from the picture hahaha 😇🕹️👌

[@akink9620]

Another mental 64 game which with patience it was quite a good game lots of swearing from the start which gradually faded as the game went on and not repetitive as some games

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Took me a while to get used to the driving controls, but after a little while I really got into it 😇🕹️👌

[@akink9620]

@@CheekyCommodoreGamer Always the driving control with the C64

[@tiibataaba]

Its not great game, but Finnish game makers history. I remember playing this as kid and it feel amazing because it was Finnish made and finnish language . Back then almost all games was english language.

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

It must have been a great change to have a game in the Finnish language for a change - it's just a shame it was never converted for a more international audience, yet I think this was a gem that was made for the people of Finland 😇🕹️👌

[@Stoobers]

This is a new on one me... I'll have to give it a play! :D

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Hopefully you enjoyed it! Its a simple whimsical little game, but I can imagine how nostalgic this would have been for those who played it the first time around in Finland 😇🕹️👌

[@MechaFenris]

Virtual house painting... lawn mowing simulators... you'd think that they sound like work. ;) But surprisingly fun... surprisingly :D But real life lawn care and painting suck ;)

[@praiha]

Not to mention power wash simulations...

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

We cant forget Jeff Minter's superb 'lawn mowing' game! Haha kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5C1hoykhbOYY6c 😇🕹️👌

[@LevitatingCups]

oh i remember this, the dude shouts out "poika!", if you picked up the wrong paint, so you started to scribble up a map and a glossary of what works where, didnt know crap about paint, think i was like 6 when i played this, but you knew it was not correct paint , manual would have helped but pirated games 😹

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Yeah he shouts at you for getting the paint wrong... would have been easier if he picked it for you! Haha 😇🕹️👌

[@pjcnet]

Doesn't look the best or most exciting of games, but then it was in a way ahead of it's time and I'm sure many people enjoyed it. Nit picking, but they did an awful job trying to hide the bottom character updates when it scrolls vertically and it's not the smoothest either, it's like software only scrolling which they restricted to about 40% of the screen so the processor could keep up with a raster interrupt splitting it.

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

Nit-picking indeed!! Haha 😇🕹️👌

[@dekat7656]

You must be Finnish to understand it I’m told

[@CheekyCommodoreGamer]

All the words are in Finnish - but it's still playable, it may just mean that you pick the incorrect paint at the beginning. I've put the translation on the video briefly for what the actual paints are 😇🕹️👌