It has been a long time since I’ve played SH1. I believe amount you save only affects the star ranking. Endings are dependant on tasks you do in the game. You should be alright if you’re saving a lot.

I don’t believe Silent Hill 1 has endings based on number of saves or anything like that. It’s about items found and actions taken. So I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s not a particularly long game if you end up with a bad ending on your first playthrough. I know Silent Hill 2 has endings that are affected by like when you heal and maybe how you fight in the game.

The number of saves only affects your rank on the results screen. It doesn’t affect the endings.

A lot of older games have great manuals detailing everything.

Doesn’t SH1 say this in the manual?

You need to finish without saving to unlock the secret goth gf, tho