CityVille meets Risk in Zynga's new Empires & Allies, hitting Facebook today

FarmVille developer Zynga is about to release Empires & Allies, a social combat strategy game

Touted by the social giant as “CityVille meets Risk”, the game tasks you with amassing an army, joining up with some friends, and taking control of 15 islands.

You have several naval units, air units, and ground forces at your disposal, as well as the ability to research and discover new weaponry.

You can buy power-ups using in-game currency which can be purchased with real-world money.

Battles play out in an Advance Wars-esque split-screen fashion, though you can select specific units to target.

Being a social title, there is plenty of opportunity to interact with your friends.

For example, you're free to designate your friends as either allies or enemies, the latter able to invade your islands and take control of your buildings.

You can also trade with friends for wood, oil, and rare ores.

Empires & Allies will be available to play later today, for free.

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