In last week's Seven Days, arts writer Ethan de Seife checked in with Burlington-based Birnam Wood Games about its new release, Pathogen. The strategy game, published by Boston-based Gameblyr, debuted on the App Store on Thursday.

BWG held a Pathogen launch party on Friday night, complete with pizza and beer. Dozens of the gamers' friends and supporters crowded the street-level gallery in the Maple Street building, downstairs from the BWG office, to congratulate its designers, including developer Matt Brand and designer/creator Zach Bohn (pictured below). Several iPads were set up for game play, including one that projected its screen onto the floor (right).

Pathogen got some good press upon its release, and not just in Seven Days; arts and culture site the Verge also noted Pathogen's infectious potential. 

The reviewer from gaming site Pockettactics started off criticizing the game, but ended up loving it, giving it four of five stars. 

"Pathogen is a game I’d love to see played by people smarter than me," he writes. "The way the late game often accelerates is primally thrilling, and helps keep the game from dragging at any point. There’s no way to know yet whether it has anything like the durable interest of the classics, but I haven’t found any sign of a bottom to its depths."

Pathogen is available from the App Store for $2.99.