Because this writeup aims to show some of r2’s features besides how the crackmes can be solved, I will explain every r2 command I use in blockquote paragraphs like this one:

If you know r2, and just interested in the crackme, feel free to skip those parts! Also keep in mind please, that because of this tutorial style I’m going to do a lot of stuff that you just don’t do during a CTF, because there is no time for proper bookkeeping (e.g. flag every memory area according to its purpose), and with such small executables you can succeed without doing these stuff.

The framework has a lot of supplementary executables and a vast amount of functionality - and they are very well documented. I encourage you to read the available docs, and use the built-in help (by appending a ? to any command) extensively! E.g.:

Some highly recommended reading materials: