Many concepts in software architecture are difficult to visualize in conventional teaching environments. Complex architectural scenarios involving multiple applications and servers are particularly challenging to simulate, and traditional classroom settings often fail to replicate the investigative problem-solving process students encounter in practice. In this paper, to overcome these limitations, we propose an educational game, named Software Architecture Sherlock, with investigative mechanics designed to simulate problem-solving scenarios in the context of software architecture. The objective is to provide an alternative learning method that enables students to actively apply their theoretical knowledge to solve problems in an interactive environment. The game was designed by combining physical and digital elements in a way that the players need to simulate the usage of software architecture tools to discover the elements of the architecture and identify the source of a problem. To evaluate this idea, we developed a game prototype with one architectural scenario and conducted playtesting sessions with students. The experience of the students by playing the game was collected through surveys based on the MEEGA+ model, which asked questions regarding several aspects, such as user experience and perceived learning. The evaluation results indicate that the game is a promising complementary learning method for consolidating software architecture concepts. The participants highlighted the interaction between physical and digital components and the step-by-step software architecture discovery as strong points of the proposed approach. The results point to the potential of educational activities based on investigative game mechanics to enhance students’ problem-solving skills, suggesting future work to experiment with the game in more complex and varied scenarios.